Modelling crop water demand under climate change: The case of Sardinia region

In this study, the impact of climate change on crop water demands, and yield losses due to water shortage, were assessed using the Simulation of Evapotranspiration of Applied Water model. This crop-soil-water model was implemented in a typical Mediterranean environment (Sardinia, Italy) across a full range of relevant crops (wheat, barley, sugar beet, potato, lentil, almond, maize, wine grape, table grape, tomato, artichoke, alfalfa, olive, irrigated pasture, and orange).

The analysis showed that the crops will need more water in 2036-2065 than in 1976-2005 to reduce potential yield losses linked with higher temperatures and evapotranspiration. The SIMETAW_GIS model adjusts the canopy resistance as due to lower stomatal conductance from increasing CO2 levels has a higher impact on future estimates of reference evapotranspiration and crop water demands.