Irrigation of olive trees by treated wastewater : evaluation of the feasibility of innovative irrigation practices and technologies in the region of Souss Massa, Morocco
The use of treated wastewater represents a strategic perspective for sustainable agricultural development in water-scarce countries. However, technological and management innovations are required to make it feasible and effective. The objective of the present research is to evaluate the feasibility of adopting an innovative calibrated nozzle and an irrigation scheduling model, SIM, in the irrigation of olive trees by treated wastewater. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted to assess the economic performances after one year of treated wastewater irrigation. The results show that neither the agronomic nor the physiological parameters are affected by the irrigation with treated wastewater, while the nozzle distribution uniformity is higher (89%) than drippers (85%).
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SIM allowed 13% of water savings compared to the standard ETc single crop coefficient method which equals 167 and 128 €/ha respectively compared to the actual quantity of freshwater used. The gain in fertilizers is 403 € using the SIM model and 456 € without it. Results demonstrate that the adoption of the two innovations generate additional benefits amounting to 44,000 €, while the introduction of the nozzle with treated and freshwater generates additional benefits of 42,000€ and 7,100€, respectively. A minimum yield increase of only 0.6% is required to cover investment costs over the 30-year project lifetime and the investment could be profitable even with 48% yield decreases.
