The increasingly pronounced climatic variability induced by climate change affects all human activities, particularly those conducted in open environments, such as agricultural practices. Crop irrigation is among the agricultural techniques subject to adjustments in their implementation, which ensures the optimal soil moisture level according to the water requirements of the crops. For an effective organization of the irrigation process, it is necessary to assess the extent to which climate change influences the water consumption of agricultural crops, as this factor determines the characteristics of the irrigation regime. The research in present paper was conducted at the Gostinu-Greaca-Argeș integrated agricultural layout which based on the recordings performed at the Giurgiu, Oltenița and Călărași meteorological stations. In order to highlight the effect of climate change on the management of irrigation application to field crops, two distinct periods of time were studied comparatively: the first period: 1896 – 1955, which are regarded as indicative of a stable climate, and the second period, from 2000 to 2024, considered to be a climate exhibited obvious variability. The Gostinu-Greaca-Argeș integrated agricultural layout is situated on the Danube Plain, having a surface approximately 28,000 ha of agricultural lands and it is flood protected by a 41.6 km long dam. In this integrated agricultural layout, the average crop plan practiced by the Irrigation Water User Organizations (IWUs) is as follows: grain maize: 30%, winter wheat: 20%, soy: 20%, sunflower: 20%, old alfalfa: 10%.

Climate change, soil water balance, water consumption, irrigation regime, Irrigation Water User Organizations

agronomy

Presentation: poster