The objective of the INCIPIT project is to develop and test a methodological framework to support the control and planning of irrigation water uses at different spatial scales and under different conditions of hydraulic and meteorological data availability. The project builds on the broad assets of research achievements of some of the most active Italian research groups and answers to a strong request by the European Commission of scientifically sound methods for the assessment of: i) utilisation of water resources for irrigation and irrigation efficiency, ii) releases to the groundwater through percolation of irrigation water and iii) return flows to surface water bodies of irrigation tailwaters. The project represents a unique opportunity to fill the wide gap between research and application that has clearly emerged in the early stages of implementation of the Agricultural Ministry Decree of July 31, 2015, where a specific set of obligations of measurement and estimation of irrigation volumes is defined.
The methodology is based on the application of a set of hydrological models, comprising IRRIFRAME, IRRISAT, IRRISIAS, IDRAGRA and SIRR_MOD, implementing two main estimation settings: Water requirements and Water use. In the Water requirements mode, net irrigation requirements per unit irrigated area are calculated as the difference between the crop-specific potential evapotranspiration and the effective precipitation. Therefore, spatially-distributed estimates of daily water requirements can be obtained with no need of field monitoring devices and information on soil characteristics, by making use only of: i) crop types and crop parameters identified through remote sensing techniques, ii) meteorological time series obtained from weather forecasts and atmospheric circulation models (Reading “ECWMF”, COSMO-LEPS) and iii) efficiencies of the system (application, distribution and conveyance) derived from empirical evaluations. Alternatively, irrigation water requirements can be estimated by means of a water balance hydrological model of the soil-crop-system, which requires input of soil hydraulic properties, but allows to estimate also values of percolation, runoff and, possibly, capillary rise. On the other hand, the Water use mode strongly relies on the availability of field observations of meteorological and discharges time series and is based on complex mathematical models able not only to simulate the hydraulic and hydrological processes, but also the operational criteria that are adopted for the management of irrigation from the diversions to the field. Therefore, it represents a useful tool in the decision-making process allowing to evaluate the effects of different interventions (changes in management practices, characteristics of the network, irrigation methods, crop types), as well as the response to climate change scenarios.
The two main estimation settings will be assessed in six case study areas. In all areas, different models will be run in the Water requirement mode with diverse sources of input data and outputs will be compared and validated with continuous measurements of irrigation volumes and return flows collected in at least one pilot district within each area over two irrigation seasons. In three of the case study areas the Water use mode will also be implemented using either IDARGRA or SIRR-MOD models. These efforts will allow to identify a shared set of modelling tools and monitoring techniques for the assessment of irrigation water uses.
The project is articulated in four work packages: WP1 - Project coordination; WP2 - Water requirements setting and input data; WP3 – Water use setting; WP4 – Communication and dissemination. Case studies will be focused on irrigation systems located in six Italian regions (Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Campania, Apulia and Sicily), which differ in size (from 2,000 to 185,000 ha), in the type of the irrigation scheme