Assessing SALTMED model for wheat experiments irrigated with basin and sprinkler systems

Comprehensive agricultural models are crucial for assisting several decision making processes due to their capability for use under different conditions. SALTMED is a holistic generic model, which simulates yield, dry matter and soil water content under different irrigation managements and systems. The aim of this study was to calibrate the SALTMED model to simulate wheat yield, dry matter and soil water content of two different field experiments using different irrigation amounts and systems, namely sprinkler and basin irrigation systems. For both irrigation systems, experimentation was conducted for two consecutive years. For the sprinkler irrigation system, three irrigation treatments (wet, medium and dry) were considered. For the basin irrigation system, 50, 75 and 100% of the irrigation requirement were applied as irrigation treatments. The SALTMED model reasonably predicted the wheat yield and dry matter for both irrigation methods by small tuning of crop coefficients and some growth parameters. Besides, a good agreement between observed and simulated soil moisture content was obtained for both experiments with different irrigation treatments and systems. Comparison of the soil moisture prediction for the two different irrigation methods revealed that the SALTMED model simulated the soil moisture content better under the sprinkler system. It is concluded that SALTMED model performed better under sprinkler system rather than basin irrigation system.