Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Many regions in North America are experiencing water shortages, and these conditions are expected to worsen. The next generation of irrigation scheduling applications must therefore be capable of providing operational advice in support of deficit irrigation strategies. However, the theoretical, technical, and practical challenges associated with deficit irrigation scheduling are far more complex than conventional (full) irrigation. This paper will outline key challenges that the next generation of schedulers must overcome in order to meet the needs of agricultural irrigation in an increasingly water short future. In addition, the paper will discuss how irrigation advisory programs will need to operate differently in terms of what they do and how they do it.