Pereira et al. (2026) Innovations in the Revised FAO56 Guidelines for Computing Crop Water Requirements: Data, Calculation Methods, Irrigation, and Climate Change Challenges

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-27
• Authors: Luís Pereira, Maher Salman, Paula Paredes, R. López-Urrea, R. G. Allen
• DOI: 10.3390/w18070793

Research Groups

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Short Summary

This article summarizes the main features and innovations of the recently released FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 Revision 1 (FAO56 Rev.1), an updated guidebook for estimating crop evapotranspiration and calculating crop water requirements, incorporating modern scientific and technological advancements and addressing current challenges like climate change and water scarcity.

Objective

• To summarize and highlight the main features and innovations incorporated in the updated FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 (FAO56 Rev.1).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global (as a comprehensive guidebook for general application in agricultural water management).
• Temporal Scale: Ongoing (for continuous application in water management practices); the revision incorporates advancements made over the past 28 years since the original publication.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable for this summary article. The summarized FAO56 Rev.1 guidebook provides updated methodologies for crop evapotranspiration estimation (e.g., Penman-Monteith equation) and water requirement calculation.
• Data sources: Not applicable for this summary article. The summarized FAO56 Rev.1 guidebook references various data sources for agricultural water management (e.g., meteorological, crop, soil data).

Main Results

• The article highlights that FAO56 Rev.1 incorporates significant advancements in agricultural productivity, water resource mobilization, use, and management.
• It details innovations in research, data availability and management, and modeling capabilities.
• The revision specifically addresses pressing challenges posed by climate change and water scarcity, providing updated guidance for efficient water resource management.

Contributions

• Provides a concise and accessible overview of the key updates and innovations within the FAO56 Rev.1 guidebook.
• Serves as an essential introduction to the revised comprehensive resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers involved in agricultural water management.
• Highlights how the updated guidelines integrate modern scientific and technological progress to tackle contemporary water challenges.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Pereira2026Innovations,
  author = {Pereira, Luís and Salman, Maher and Paredes, Paula and López-Urrea, R. and Allen, R. G.},
  title = {Innovations in the Revised FAO56 Guidelines for Computing Crop Water Requirements: Data, Calculation Methods, Irrigation, and Climate Change Challenges},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18070793},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070793}
}