Quantitative Analysis of Crop Production in an Irrigated Farm (Part I)

Degrees in agricultural engineering or agronomy include specific courses studying crop production techniques derived from agronomy, covering all or part of the contents described in this book. In the practical sessions of our class of Principles of Agronomy for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Cordoba, a project-based learning methodology is used. The students, grouped in pairs, undertake diverse calculations for a specific location and crop rotation throughout the course. Each student is assigned a crop within the rotation, but some cooperative work is required in some sections, promoting teamwork. At the end of the course, each group produces a final report and gives an oral presentation defending its results. The report and the presentation are used as evaluation instruments and contribute to determining the student’s final grades. This chapter presents an example of the report for a leek-pepper rotation grown in Belmez, Spain. The practical project is divided into several sections dealing with (1) analysis of weather data and calculations of (2) potential productivity, (3) seed rates, (4) irrigation schedules, (5) required leaching fraction, (6) fertilizer programs, and (7) energy requirements.