A VBA-Based Field Water Balance Model for Efficient Irrigation Water Management of Corn (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

A field water balance model for efficient irrigation water management of corn was developed using Excel VBA. The model consists of five sub-components or modules, namely, (1) a plant subcomponent, (2) an effective rainfall subcomponent, (3) an evapotranspiration subcomponent, (4) a soil water dynamics subcomponent for the modeling of water flow into and within the soil layers, and (5) an irrigation subcomponent for the estimation of the required amount and timing of irrigation. The model was calibrated and validated using observed data from field experiments and the results showed a reasonably good agreement between the observed and simulated soil moisture values (MAE = 5.76 mm to 12.00 mm, RMSE = 6.83 mm to 13.12 mm, NRMSE = 0.102 to 0.196, and NSE = 0.37 to 0.90). The simulations emphasized that a significant amount of water savings can be achieved when rainfall is properly accounted for in managing water in the field, and that the frequency of rainfall occurrences is as important as the magnitude of rainfall received by the crops. The wide-ranging user-friendliness and simplicity of the model developed in this study can pave the way to eliminating the barriers which cause farmers to resist advancements in their farming practices as the model can easily be used not only by researchers and scientists but also by farmers, especially those with basic knowledge of spreadsheets.