Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-f46jp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-12T09:11:24.629Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Spatial and temporal variations in evapotranspiration and net water requirements of typical Mediterranean crops on the island of Cyprus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2017

A. CHRISTOU Open the ORCID record for A. CHRISTOU [Opens in a new window] ,
P. DALIAS  and
D. NEOCLEOUS
A. CHRISTOU*
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, P.O. Box 22016, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus
P. DALIAS
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, P.O. Box 22016, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus
D. NEOCLEOUS
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, P.O. Box 22016, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Diminishing irrigation water availability and increased crop evapotranspiration (ET) have already been shown to pose threats to agricultural productivity. The aim of the current study was to estimate the values and trends of both ET and net irrigation requirements (NIR) of those crops consuming most water due to the size of their cultivated area (citrus and potatoes) in a water-scarce region with typical Mediterranean climate, such as Cyprus, analyse possible spatial and temporal variations of these parameters, and discuss implications of this analysis on agricultural water conservation. A linear regression analysis of ET and NIR values of potatoes and citrus during recent decades in their four main cultivated areas uncovered both increasing and decreasing trends for these parameters. Overall, however, the results did not show any change in irrigation water demands for these crops during recent years. In accordance with this outcome, average ET and NIR values of the majority of cultivated crops on the island showed no statistically significant differences between the periods 1976–2000 and 1990–2014. Conversely, this was not the case when data were analysed within each weather station across crops. It is suggested, therefore, that agricultural water resource management schemes should not be focused merely on a regional analysis of changes but that emphasis should be given to site-specific values and trends of ET and NIR estimations, ultimately serving the conservation of agricultural water.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 155 , Issue 8 , October 2017 , pp. 1311 - 1323
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allen, R. G., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D. & Smith, M. (1998). Crop Evapotranspiration – Guidelines for Computing Crop Water Requirements. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56. Rome, Italy: FAO.Google Scholar
Brouwer, C. & Heibloem, M. (1986) Irrigation Water Management: Irrigation Water Needs. Training manual no. 3. Rome, Italy: FAO.Google Scholar
Cabré, F., Solman, S. & Núñez, M. (2014). Climate downscaling over southern South America for present-day climate (1970–1989) using the MM5 model. Mean, interannual variability and internal variability. Atmósfera 27, 117–140.Google Scholar
Cohen, S., Ianetz, A. & Stanhill, G. (2002). Evaporative climate changes at Bet Dagan, Israel, 1964–1998. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 111, 83–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christou, A., Eliadou, E., Michael, C., Hapeshi, E. & Fatta-Kassinos, D. (2014). Assessment of long-term wastewater irrigation impacts on the soil geochemical properties and the bioaccumulation of heavy metals to the agricultural products. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 186, 4857–4870.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Döll, P. (2002). Impact of climate change and variability on irrigation requirements: a global perspective. Climatic Change 54, 269–293.Google Scholar
Doorenbos, J. & Pruitt, W. O. (1992). Guidelines for Predicting Crop Water Requirements. Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 24. Rome, Italy: FAO.Google Scholar
Eliades, G. (1992). Irrigation of eggplants grown in heated greenhouses. Journal of Horticultural Science 67, 143–147.Google Scholar
Giannakopoulos, C., Hadjinicolaou, P., Kostopoulou, E., Varotsos, K. V. & Zerefos, C. (2010). Precipitation and temperature regime over Cyprus as a result of global climate change. Advances in Geosciences 23, 17–24.Google Scholar
Giorgi, F. & Lionello, P. (2008). Climate change projections for the Mediterranean region. Global and Planetary Change 63, 90–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gohari, A., Eslamian, S., Abedi-Koupaei, J., Massah Bavani, A., Wang, D. & Madani, K. (2013). Climate change impacts on crop production in Iran's Zayandeh-Rud River Basin. Science of the Total Environment 442, 405–419.Google Scholar
Iglesias, A. & Garrote, L. (2015). Adaptation strategies for agricultural water management under climate change in Europe. Agricultural Water Management 155, 113–124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iglesias, A., Garrote, L., Diz, A., Schlickenrieder, J. & Martin-Carrasco, F. (2011 a). Re-thinking water policy priorities in the Mediterranean region in view of climate change. Environmental Science & Policy 14, 744–757.Google Scholar
Iglesias, A., Mougou, R., Moneo, M. & Quiroga, S. (2011 b). Towards adaptation of agriculture to climate change in the Mediterranean. Regional Environmental Change 11 (Suppl. 1), 159–166.Google Scholar
Jung, M., Reichstein, M., Ciais, P., Seneviratne, S. I., Sheffield, J., Goulden, M. L., Bonan, G., Cescatti, A., Chen, J., De Jeu, R., Dolman, A. J., Eugster, W., Gerten, D., Gianelle, D., Gobron, N., Heinke, J., Kimball, J., Law, B. E., Montagnani, L., Mu, Q., Mueller, B., Oleson, K., Papale, D., Richardson, A. D., Roupsard, O., Running, S., Tomelleri, E., Viovy, N., Weber, U., Williams, C., Wood, E., Zaehle, S. & Zhang, K. (2010). Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply. Nature 467, 951–954.Google Scholar
Liang, L. Q., Li, L. J. & Liu, Q. (2010). Temporal variation of reference evapotranspiration during 1961-2005 in the Taoer River basin of Northeast China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 150, 298–306.Google Scholar
Lovelli, S., Perniola, M., Di Tommaso, T., Ventrella, D., Moriondo, M. & Amato, M. (2010). Effects of rising atmospheric CO2 on crop evapotranspiration in a Mediterranean area. Agricultural Water Management 97, 1287–1292.Google Scholar
Markou, M. & Papadavid, G. (2007). Norm Input-Output Data for the Main Crop and Livestock Enterprises of Cyprus. Agricultural Economics Report 46. Nicosia, Cyprus: Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.Google Scholar
Matthews, R. B., Rivington, M., Muhammed, S., Newton, A. C. & Hallett, P. D. (2013). Adapting crops and cropping systems to future climates to ensure food security: the role of crop modelling. Global Food Security 2, 24–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mesa-Jurado, M. A., Martin-Ortega, J., Ruto, E. & Berbel, J. (2012). The economic value of guaranteed water supply for irrigation under scarcity conditions. Agricultural Water Management 113, 10–18.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. (1980). Irrigation of lucerne under semi-arid conditions in Cyprus. Irrigation Science 1, 247–252.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. (1989). Water requirement, yield and fruit quality of grapefruit irrigated with high-sulphate water. Journal of Horticultural Science 64, 733–737.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. (1997). Assessment of Irrigation Water Needs of Main Crops of Cyprus. Nicosia, Cyprus: Cyprus Agricultural Research Institute Series, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. & Orphanos, P. I. (1981). Alfalfa yield and water use when forced into dormancy by withholding water during the summer. Agronomy Journal 73, 1048–1050.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. & Orphanos, P. I. (1988). Irrigation and nitrogen requirements of sugar beet in a Mediterranean environment. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 110, 387–390.Google Scholar
Metochis, C. & Orphanos, P. I. (1997). Yield of barley under Mediterranean conditions of variable rainfall. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 85, 251–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milano, M., Ruelland, D., Fernandez, S., Dezetter, A., Fabre, J. & Servat, E. (2012). Facing climatic and anthropogenic changes in the Mediterranean basin: what will be the medium-term impact on water stress? Comptes Rendus Geoscience 344, 432–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mizyed, N. (2009). Impacts of climate change on water resources availability and agricultural water demand in the West Bank. Water Resources Management 23, 2015–2029.Google Scholar
Nam, W.-H., Hong, E.-M. & Choi, J.-Y. (2015). Has climate change already affected the spatial distribution and temporal trends of reference evapotranspiration in South Korea? Agricultural Water Management 150, 129–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neocleous, D. & Savvas, D. (2015). Effect of different macronutrient cation ratios on macronutrient and water uptake by melon (Cucumis melo) grown in recirculating nutrient solution. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 178, 320–332.Google Scholar
Olesen, J. E. & Bindi, M. (2002). Consequences of climate change for European agricultural productivity, land use and policy. European Journal of Agronomy 16, 239–262.Google Scholar
Palomo, M. J., Moreno, F., Fernández, J. E., DíAz-Espejo, A. & Girón, I. F. (2002). Determining water consumption in olive orchards using the water balance approach. Agricultural Water Management 55, 15–35.Google Scholar
Pashiardis, S. & Michaelides, S. (2008). Implementation of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the reconnaissance drought index (RDI) for regional drought assessment: a case study for Cyprus. European Water 23/24, 57–65.Google Scholar
Peterson, T. C., Golubev, V. S. & Groisman, P. Y. (1995). Evaporation losing its strength. Nature 377, 687–688.Google Scholar
Price, C., Michaelides, S., Pashiardis, S. & Alpert, P. (1999). Long term changes in diurnal temperature range in Cyprus. Atmospheric Research 51, 85–98.Google Scholar
Ribalaygua, J., Pino, M. R., Pórtoles, J., Roldán, E., Gaitán, E., Chinarro, D. & Torres, L. (2013). Climate change scenarios for temperature and precipitation in Aragón (Spain). Science of the Total Environment 463–464, 1015–1030.Google Scholar
Rodriguez-Diaz, J. A., Weatherhead, E. K., Knox, J. W. & Camacho, E. (2007). Climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements in the Guadalquivir river basin in Spain. Regional Environmental Change 7, 149–159.Google Scholar
Saadi, S., Todorovic, M., Tanasijevic, L., Pereira, L. S., Pizzigalli, C. & Lionello, P. (2015). Climate change and Mediterranean agriculture: impacts on winter wheat and tomato crop evapotranspiration, irrigation requirements and yield. Agricultural Water Management 147, 103–115.Google Scholar
Schilling, J., Freier, K. P., Hertig, E. & Scheffran, J. (2012). Climate change, vulnerability and adaptation in North Africa with focus on Morocco. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 156, 12–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stylianou, Y. & Orphanos, P. I. (1981). Irrigation of potatoes by sprinklers or tricklers on the basis of pan evaporation in a semi-arid region. Potato Research 24, 159–170.Google Scholar
Supit, I., Van Diepen, C. A., De Wit, A. J. W., Wolf, J., Kabat, P., Baruth, B. & Ludwig, F. (2012). Assessing climate change effects on European crop yields using the Crop Growth Monitoring System and a weather generator. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 164, 96–111.Google Scholar
Tabari, H. & Hosseinzadeh Talaee, P. (2014). Sensitivity of evapotranspiration to climatic change in different climates. Global and Planetary Change 115, 16–23.Google Scholar
Tanasijevic, L., Todorovic, M., Pereira, L. S., Pizzigalli, C. & Lionello, P. (2014). Impacts of climate change on olive crop evapotranspiration and irrigation requirements in the Mediterranean region. Agricultural Water Management 144, 54–68.Google Scholar
Tang, B., Tong, L., Kang, S. & Zhang, L. (2011). Impacts of climate variability on reference evapotranspiration over 58 years in the Haihe river basin of north China. Agricultural Water Management 98, 1660–1670.Google Scholar
Thomas, A. (2000). Spatial and temporal characteristics of potential evapotranspiration trends over China. International Journal of Climatology 20, 381–396.Google Scholar
Valverde, P., Serralheiro, R., De Carvalho, M. R., Maia, R., Oliveira, B. & Ramos, V. (2015). Climate change impacts on irrigated agriculture in the Guadiana river basin (Portugal). Agricultural Water Management 152, 17–30.Google Scholar
Waha, K., Müller, C., Bondeau, A., Dietrich, J. P., Kurukulasuriya, P., Heinke, J. & Lotze-Campen, H. (2013). Adaptation to climate change through the choice of cropping system and sowing date in sub-Saharan Africa. Global Environmental Change 23, 130–143.Google Scholar
Xoplaki, E., González-Rouco, J. F., Luterbacher, J. & Wanner, H. (2004). Wet season Mediterranean precipitation variability: influence of large-scale dynamics and trends. Climate Dynamics 23, 63–78.Google Scholar
Ye, Q., Yang, X., Dai, S., Chen, G., Li, Y. & Zhang, C. (2015). Effects of climate change on suitable rice cropping areas, cropping systems and crop water requirements in southern China. Agricultural Water Management 159, 35–44.Google Scholar
Zhang, X., Kang, S., Zhang, L. & Liu, J. (2010). Spatial variation of climatology monthly crop reference evapotranspiration and sensitivity coefficients in Shiyang river basin of northwest China. Agricultural Water Management 97, 1506–1516.Google Scholar
Zoumides, C., Bruggeman, A., Hadjikakou, M. & Zachariadis, T. (2014). Policy-relevant indicators for semi-arid nations: the water footprint of crop production and supply utilization of Cyprus. Ecological Indicators 43, 205–214.Google Scholar