Kerras et al. (2026) Economic performance of FAO-56 crop coefficient and Allen & Pereira approaches for irrigation scheduling in super-high-density olive orchards

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-17
• Authors: H. Kerras, M. V. Cuevas, M. Muñoz-Santisteban, J.L. Sánchez-Navarro, J.E. Fernández, J. Frías, F. Alcon
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110779

Research Groups

• Agricultural Economics Research Group, Department of Business Economics, Faculty of Business Sciences, Universidad Polit´ecnica de Cartagena
• Plant Ecophysiology and Irrigation group (ECOVER), Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS, CSIC)
• 258INNOVA24H SL

Short Summary

This study compares the economic performance of two irrigation scheduling approaches: the FAO-56 crop coefficient approach and the Allen & Pereira approach. The results show that while the Allen & Pereira approach generates higher irrigation costs due to its greater estimated irrigation requirements, it does not significantly affect overall farm profitability.

Objective

• Evaluate the economic performance of alternative irrigation scheduling methods commonly used for irrigation scheduling in olive orchards.
• Assess the potential economic benefits derived from automating irrigation scheduling under real commercial farming conditions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: A super-high-density ‘Arbequina’ olive orchard located in southern Spain.
• Temporal Scale: Two growing seasons (2023 and 2024).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: FAO-56 crop coefficient approach, Allen & Pereira approach.
• Data sources: Field experiment data collected during the two-year study.

Main Results

• The Allen & Pereira approach generated higher irrigation costs due to its greater estimated irrigation requirements.
• However, it did not significantly affect overall farm profitability compared to the FAO-56 crop coefficient approach.
• Automation through Isadora + decision-support system reduced management costs and eliminated economic differences between methodologies.

Contributions

• This study provides empirical evidence on the economic performance of alternative irrigation scheduling methods in olive orchards.
• It highlights the potential benefits of automating irrigation scheduling using digital decision-support systems.

Funding

• This research was funded by projects, programs, and reference codes not specified in the paper.

Citation

@article{Kerras2026Economic,
  author = {Kerras, H. and Cuevas, M. V. and Muñoz-Santisteban, M. and Sánchez-Navarro, J.L. and Fernández, J.E. and Frías, J. and Alcon, F.},
  title = {Economic performance of FAO-56 crop coefficient and Allen & Pereira approaches for irrigation scheduling in super-high-density olive orchards},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110779},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110779}
}