Economic Analysis of Citrus Orchards under Deficit Irrigation in South Italy

Citrus orchards are economically one of the most important crops in South
Italy, where climate is semi-arid with scarce rain and high evaporative demand. One
way to optimize water resources in this region is to adopt deficit irrigation (DI)
strategies, such as regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). In Mediterranean regions, DI
criteria have been widely applied and crop physiological responses to water deficit
application have been studied in depth, but the profitability of these strategies in
commercial orchards is still largely unknown. The objective of this study was to
determine the economic feasibility of DI treatment on orange orchards in Sicily (South
Italy), by estimating optimum levels of applied water which provide maximum profit
under limited resource availability (e.g. land or water). The applied methodology
follows the economic analysis on DI suggested by English in 1990. The analysis of the
profit/total costs ratio showed that Deficit Irrigation strategies would increase the
generated income, thus being more profitable (up to a maximum of 100%) than the
current irrigation water supply management in the area.