Sustainable Irrigation Management Using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach: A Case Study in Quinoa Cultivation

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Soil and Water Research Institute (SWRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.

10.22059/jwim.2026.403319.1264

Abstract

In this study, with the aim of identifying the optimal growth stage of quinoa for sustainable water resource management under the semi-arid conditions of Karaj, three key indicators biomass, crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and crop coefficient (Kc) were measured across four growth stages (initial, development, mid-season, and late season) and evaluated using a multi-criteria decision-making approach. The data were analyzed based on the results of two years of lysimeter experiments and reference evapotranspiration calculated using the Penman–Monteith method. The results showed that the mid-season stage, characterized by the highest crop coefficient, the greatest water requirement, and a significant contribution to biomass accumulation, achieved the highest rank under equal weighting of the criteria. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the ranking of quinoa growth stages was robust to changes in criterion weights. Across all managerial weighting combinations, as well as in single-variable sensitivity analysis (±20%) and multivariate sensitivity analysis using the Monte Carlo method, the mid-season stage consistently maintained the top rank and was identified as the most stable option in the decision-making process. In contrast, the initial and late growth stages exhibited poor performance across all scenarios. These results suggest that water resource management should focus on the mid-season stage to maximize water productivity and crop yield. The findings of this study provide a practical framework for irrigation planning and optimal allocation of water resources in quinoa cultivation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Water and Irrigation Management
Volume 16, Issue 1
July 2026
Pages 81-96

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