Remote sensing to estimate ET-fluxes and the performance of an irrigation district in southern Italy

• Published in: Agricultural water management Vol. 81; no. 3; pp. 295 - 314
• Main Authors: Consoli, Simona, D’Urso, Guido, Toscano, Attilio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 24.03.2006; Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Series: Agricultural Water Management
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; albedo (reflectance); Biological and medical sciences; canopy; Crop water requirements; evapotranspiration; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; irrigation management; Irrigation water management; Irrigation. Drainage; leaf area index; oranges; orchards; Remote sensing; satellites; soil water balance; spatial data; spectral analysis; Water balance and requirements. Evapotranspiration; water requirement; Italy; Sicily; Southern Europe; Europe; Italy, Sicilia; Remote sensing; Crop water requirements; Irrigation water management; Performance evaluation; Irrigation; Water management; Citrus sinensis; Multispectral remote sensing; Citrus fruit; Rutaceae; Water resource management; Arboriculture; Irrigation water; Temperate zone; Orchard; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Evapotranspiration; Water engineering; Irrigation network; Fruit tree; Cultivated plant; Estimation; Space remote sensing; Flux; Fruit crop; Irrigation schemes; Water requirement; Spermatophyta; Mediterranean region
• ISSN: 0378-3774; 1873-2283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2005.04.008

Satellite remote sensed data on canopy biophysical properties, ground data and agro-meteorological information were combined to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes of orange orchards using a modified Penman–Monteith equation. The study was carried out during the irrigation season 2004 in an irrigation district, cover for about 95% with orange groves, of 1550 ha located in eastern Sicily (Italy). The spatial pattern in ET-fluxes have been analysed using IKONOS high-resolution satellite and hyper-spectral ground data acquired and processed for the study-area. The remote estimates of ET-fluxes varied between 1.3 and 5.7 mm/day, with a daily average value of about 4.2 mm, showing a good agreement with crop ET values determined as residual of soil water balance of selected ground control sites. Crop coefficient estimates ranged between 0.22 and 1.08 showing positive correlations with percentages of ground cover ( C g) increasing from 30 to 80% ground shading and with LAI values. By comparing ET estimates with water volumes supplied in each sub-district of the study-area, the performance indicator “IP” was evaluated, allowing to rank the conditions of un-fulfilment of crop water requirements by public and private water distribution systems. Generally, out of 29 sub-districts, 14 had “IP” values less than 50%, revealing a sub-optimal water supply for the study-area.