A Novel Decision Support System for Generating Irrigation Ecolabels Based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio

A Novel Decision Support System for Generating Irrigation Ecolabels Based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Novel Decision Support System for Generating Irrigation Ecolabels Based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio Sergio Vélez, Raquel Martínez-Peña, João Valente, Mar Ariza-Sentís, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5474956/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract As a crucial economic activity, agriculture must consider factors that impact business viability, such as environmental conditions and climate. In planning an agricultural field, particularly for woody crops, it’s crucial to recognize that plants are reliable indicators of irrigation efficiency. Unlike herbaceous crops, woody crops are typically planted with an irrigation system that remains unchanged for the duration of the life of the crop. Initially, the irrigation system is designed based on the conditions of the first year, but after several years, it is essential to reassess the design using new data, such as plant development, to evaluate whether the original setup was effective. This static approach, if uncorrected, cannot account for the developing needs of the crop, such as plant mortality, changes in soil water availability, topographical influences, and proper management by the farmer. Therefore, regular assessment and adjustment of the irrigation system are necessary to ensure long-term efficiency and sustainability. To this end, this paper introduces a novel DSS supported by two novel concepts for improving water management in these systems: the \(\:Irrigation\:Ecolabel\) , based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio ( \(\:ROR\) ). By using the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method to calculate the current water needs of plants through the crop coefficient (Kc) and leveraging technologies like drones to measure key factors such as canopy cover, the DSS gathers essential data. Then, it compares this information with the existing irrigation system, which, for woody crops, is often based on the original design. A new index is developed: the \(\:ROR\) , which evaluates the level of excess water usage and assigns an efficiency label to the system. A case study in a vineyard in northern Spain revealed opportunities for resource savings and efficiency improvements. Implementing this labeling system could optimize resource management and reduce environmental impact. The datasets can be found in public repositories, and the software is open-source. Irrigation Efficiency Remote Sensing UAV Water Management Crop Water Requirements Precision Agriculture Evapotranspiration ET Drip Irrigation Sustainability Crop Coefficient (Kc) Decision Support System DSS Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5474956","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":382773423,"identity":"42084892-6be4-4e4c-b984-5ec21ebce5b9","order_by":0,"name":"Sergio Vélez","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sergio","middleName":"","lastName":"Vélez","suffix":""},{"id":382773424,"identity":"c5c3ccdb-92c9-4e46-bb16-fe6e59004bac","order_by":1,"name":"Raquel Martínez-Peña","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Regional Institute of Agri-Food and Forestry Research and Development of Castilla-La Mancha (IRIAF), CIAG- \"EL CHAPARRILLO\" Ciudad Real","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Raquel","middleName":"","lastName":"Martínez-Peña","suffix":""},{"id":382773425,"identity":"46f74779-ffbd-4611-892c-e6e1e2e69c83","order_by":2,"name":"João Valente","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"João","middleName":"","lastName":"Valente","suffix":""},{"id":382773426,"identity":"2001a92e-2665-462a-bba0-516935c2fdcb","order_by":3,"name":"Mar Ariza-Sentís","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wageningen University \u0026 Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mar","middleName":"","lastName":"Ariza-Sentís","suffix":""},{"id":382773427,"identity":"fb5173d3-1980-4420-8582-10300e5f1996","order_by":4,"name":"Miguel Ángel Pardo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAmklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACHgYb0rWkka7lMAmqdWc3P/vwpuJ8Yn8D8+EPRGkxu3PMeOacM7cTZxxgS5MgTsuNBGNm3rbbiQ0HeMyIc5jZjfTPQC3nEucf4P9MpMNu5IBsOZC44QAPA5EOu3OmmHHOmWTjjYfZzIjUcrt9M8ObCjvZecebHxPnMIRjmIlTj6xlFIyCUTAKRgEuAADx0jCjKmnabgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Alicante","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Miguel","middleName":"Ángel","lastName":"Pardo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-11-18 10:08:32","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5474956/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5474956/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87645522,"identity":"e6c4507c-b3e9-424a-a434-84276409d208","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-26 18:01:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1802911,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20241118paperriegoFINAL.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5474956/v1_covered_6c218f1a-041f-4456-a995-ca61b3a53875.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Novel Decision Support System for Generating Irrigation Ecolabels Based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Irrigation Efficiency, Remote Sensing, UAV, Water Management, Crop Water Requirements, Precision Agriculture, Evapotranspiration ET, Drip Irrigation, Sustainability, Crop Coefficient (Kc), Decision Support System DSS","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5474956/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5474956/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAs a crucial economic activity, agriculture must consider factors that impact business viability, such as environmental conditions and climate. In planning an agricultural field, particularly for woody crops, it\u0026rsquo;s crucial to recognize that plants are reliable indicators of irrigation efficiency. Unlike herbaceous crops, woody crops are typically planted with an irrigation system that remains unchanged for the duration of the life of the crop. Initially, the irrigation system is designed based on the conditions of the first year, but after several years, it is essential to reassess the design using new data, such as plant development, to evaluate whether the original setup was effective. This static approach, if uncorrected, cannot account for the developing needs of the crop, such as plant mortality, changes in soil water availability, topographical influences, and proper management by the farmer. Therefore, regular assessment and adjustment of the irrigation system are necessary to ensure long-term efficiency and sustainability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo this end, this paper introduces a novel DSS supported by two novel concepts for improving water management in these systems: the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:Irrigation\\:Ecolabel\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, based on the Resource Overutilization Ratio (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:ROR\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e). By using the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method to calculate the current water needs of plants through the crop coefficient (Kc) and leveraging technologies like drones to measure key factors such as canopy cover, the DSS gathers essential data. Then, it compares this information with the existing irrigation system, which, for woody crops, is often based on the original design. A new index is developed: the \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:ROR\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, which evaluates the level of excess water usage and assigns an efficiency label to the system. A case study in a vineyard in northern Spain revealed opportunities for resource savings and efficiency improvements. Implementing this labeling system could optimize resource management and reduce environmental impact. 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