Irrigation Efficiency in Banana Crops in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Background: When planning the use of available water resources and the hydraulic infrastructures needed to make them available to irrigators, it is important to know the water consumption of the different crops. In addition, it is interesting to know the agricultural practices used in each place, since cultural practices in agriculture have an important effect on the flows, when there is no specific study of the water needs of the crop under study. Methods: In order to obtain the data, surveys were conducted among irrigators in the area and for the crop to be studied. However, data collection is not a simple task, depending on the characteristics of the irrigation area studied. Irrigation of the plots is not always accounted for individually, or a study of the water needs of the crop has not always been done. In addition, it has been observed that cultural factors affect the way farmers irrigate. Results: The water consumption of banana plantations on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Canary Islands) was determined in a field study. The results revealed similar consumption on both islands; however, the island of Gran Canaria showed lower water consumption in terms of banana irrigation. The uniformity coefficient was calculated for the island of Tenerife but not for the island of Gran Canaria, so the results could not be supported by this aspect of the agronomic calculation of irrigation efficiency. Conclusion: Knowledge of the agronomic and irrigation practices of the Canary Islands' main crop, bananas, is vital to improve water consumption data in the archipelago, where agriculture is the main water demander. In addition, a series of improvements within the irrigation network, as well as improvement in sustainability practices, such as the introduction of reclaimed water in irrigation on the islands, is considered vital in order to be more efficient with water use in a region so vulnerable to climate change.