Abstract:

Didactical tools that allow the student to design case studies and help to understand the rationale behind solving specific problems may have a major role in the process of teaching-learning in Agricultural science and engineering. Water management that looks for an efficient use of resources and a minimum environmental impact is crucial to ensure the sustainability of irrigated cropping systems. But calculating crop water requirements and selecting the best irrigation schedule is a complex task, as it requires information on crop characteristics and environmental conditions that determine the water demand. The aim of this study is to describe he potential application of a didactical tool that integrates knowledge on crops, climate, and soils to teach water management in higher education degrees related to agriculture. The didactical tool is an Excel book that allows the student to choose a particular location and to design a particular crop rotation for which the student can modify the size of the fields and relevant irrigation parameters (i.e. efficiency, time, journey, etc.). Water requirements tailored to the student designed case study are calculated and plotted, allowing comparison of the various selected combinations. Additionally, calculations can be done based on actual climate data collected from the national meteorological stations network or based on future climate conditions estimated by the delta methodology. The didactical tool is available in English and Spanish and allows designing case studies in the main irrigated areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Access to a manual and the bibliographic material in which the program is based is also provided. The present work will discuss the use of the application with undergraduate students and some of the exercises proposed for the use with students. The didactical tool showed high potential for teaching as it allows the students to have an active role in designing the case studies and contributes to understanding the concepts behind water management in cropping systems.

Keywords:

Agriculture, Agronomy, Case studies design, Didactical tools, Virtual labs, Water.