Validation of Applying Simulation Models for Different Irrigation Systems: Review Article

In Egypt, agriculture is shaped by two goals. The first goal is maximum national production per unit area and the second goal is maximum production per cubic meter of water. Therefore, this strategy relates the utilization of national resources, soil and water, and to do this in a proper way we need tools and technologies which will allow to develop these resources in a suitable manner. The design and managing of irrigation systems must have its base in criteria that are relevant, which implies to take into account agronomic, soil, hydraulic, economic, energetic, and environmental factors. The optimal design and managing of irrigation systems at farm level is the first important factor for a rational use of water, economic development of agriculture and its environmental sustainability. Computer simulation models have the potential to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems and thus deliver significant water savings. This can be achieved by optimizing the design and management decisions at the field level. Irrigation simulation models are useful tools both at the design and management stages of irrigation systems. When used for irrigation design purposes, simulation models help to optimize irrigation variables such as field slope, length of the field and the design flow rate...etc. These models can aid the designer in making decisions as to the appropriate values of variables that produce the best performance. This is mostly applicable to newly established fields or when converting from one irrigation system to another. In the majority of the irrigation simulation models currently in use, previous field characteristics are used to optimize future irrigations. However, numerous researchers have established that these characteristics change both with time and space, and hence the accuracy of such models may be affected. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyse knowledge and investigations that enable to identify the principal criteria and processes that allow improving the design and managing of the irrigation systems, based on using irrigation systems simulation models to develop agriculture more efficient and sustainable, as well as using them as a tool for farmers, researchers, and decision makers.