Original Article Irrigation network management

Comparative Analysis of Pricing Methods for Treated Wastewater in Agricultural Applications in Guilan Province

Afshin َAshrafzadeh; Jaber Salehpour Laghani

Volume 26, Summer , July 2025, Pages 20-1

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2025.369170.1614

Abstract

Introduction The management of treated wastewater is a critical issue in addressing water scarcity and ensuring environmental sustainability, particularly in regions like Guilan Province, Iran, where agricultural, urban, and industrial activities strain water resources. ... Read More Introduction The management of treated wastewater is a critical issue in addressing water scarcity and ensuring environmental sustainability, particularly in regions like Guilan Province, Iran, where agricultural, urban, and industrial activities strain water resources. This study aims to investigate regional preferences for pricing methods of treated wastewater, cost-based, market-based, subsidized, and environmental, in various parts of Guilan, characterized by differing environmental priorities. The research addresses the problem of aligning pricing strategies with local needs to enhance sustainable wastewater reuse. Existing literature highlights the importance of wastewater reuse for agriculture and environmental protection (Areosa et al., 2024; Hajjar et al., 2025) and the role of pricing in resource management (Beecher & Gould, 2018; Fagundes & Marques, 2023). However, studies focusing on regional variations in pricing preferences, especially in Iran, remain limited (Deh-Haghi et al., 2020; Zafari Koloukhi et al., 2021). This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative (Kruskal-Wallis test, Random Forest) and qualitative (thematic analysis, conceptual network) techniques to analyse data from 55 stakeholders across four regions with varying environmental priorities. The main results reveal distinct regional preferences, with subsidized and environmental methods favoured in high-priority areas and cost-based and market-based methods in lower-priority regions, underscoring the need for tailored pricing policies. MethodologyThe research was conducted in Guilan Province, a key agricultural region in northern of Iran, known for its humid climate and sensitive ecosystems like the Anzali International Lagoon. The province was divided into four categories based on environmental priority: very high (e.g., Rasht, Anzali), high (e.g., Someh Sara), medium (e.g., Lahijan), and low (e.g., Khomam). Data were collected from 55 stakeholders, including farmers, experts in water and environmental issues, and representatives of local institutions, using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised demographic details, 20 Likert-scale questions assessing the four pricing methods, choice scenarios, and open-ended questions for qualitative insights. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha for reliability, Kruskal-Wallis tests for inter-regional differences, and Random Forest modeling to identify influential factors. Qualitative analysis involved thematic analysis, keyword frequency counts, and conceptual network mapping using Python (version 3.8) and libraries like Pandas, Scikit-learn, and NetworkX. The research questions focused on identifying preferred pricing methods, their influencing factors, and qualitative explanations of these preferences. The mixed-methods approach was chosen to capture both statistical trends and nuanced stakeholder perspectives, ensuring relevance to both theoretical frameworks (e.g., sustainable resource pricing) and practical policy design. Results and DiscussionThe findings indicate significant regional variation in pricing preferences. In very high-priority areas (e.g., Rasht), the subsidized method (mean score 4.73, 57.14% preference) and environmental method (mean 4.42, 28.57%) were most favored, reflecting the urgent need for government support and environmental protection amid severe pollution (e.g., Anzali Lagoon). In high-priority areas (e.g., Someh Sara), the subsidized method (mean 4.06) led, with cost-based (mean 3.76) and market-based (mean 3.57) methods also notable, suggesting a balance between affordability and economic considerations. Medium-priority areas (e.g., Lahijan) preferred the market-based method (mean 3.93, 64.29%), driven by high agricultural demand for wastewater, while low-priority areas (e.g., Khomam) favored the cost-based method (mean 3.93, 37.50%), emphasizing financial transparency. Kruskal-Wallis tests confirmed significant differences for subsidized (p=0.001) and environmental (p=0.001) methods across regions, but not for cost-based (p=0.206) or market-based (p=0.323) methods. Random Forest analysis identified the environmental method as the most influential (importance 0.284), followed by market-based (0.261), subsidized (0.228), and cost-based (0.226). Qualitative analysis revealed dominant themes: subsidized and environmental concerns in high-priority areas, market-based in medium-priority, and cost-based in low-priority areas. A conceptual network showed strong links between subsidized and environmental methods (weight 18), reflecting stakeholder priorities. These results align with studies emphasizing economic and environmental factors in wastewater pricing (Deh-Haghi et al., 2020; Obaideen et al., 2022) but offer novel insights into regional specificity. ConclusionsThe study concludes that pricing preferences for treated wastewater in Guilan Province are closely tied to regional environmental priorities. Subsidized and environmental methods dominate in areas with severe pollution, while market-based and cost-based methods suit regions with stable water resources or lower pollution. Limitations include a modest sample size (55 stakeholders) and cross-sectional data, which may not capture long-term trends. The findings suggest that pricing policies must be region-specific to balance economic viability and environmental sustainability. Theoretical implications include reinforcing the role of context in resource pricing models, while practical implications involve guiding policymakers to prioritize subsidies in high-priority areas and market mechanisms in agricultural hubs. Future research should explore cost-benefit analyses and longitudinal impacts of pricing strategies. AcknowledgementHereby, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the stakeholders in Guilan Province for their participation in completing the questionnaires. We also appreciate the provincial organizations for providing access to the data used in this study. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Editor-in-Chief and esteemed reviewers whose valuable comments greatly contributed to enhancing the quality of this article.

The Feasibility of Using New Technologies in the Modification and Reconstruction of Water Transmission Channels During Operation (Case Study: The Main Channel of Moghan Irrigation Network- Iran)

Volume 24, Issue 91 , November 2023, , Pages 22-49

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2023.362797.1548

Abstract

Extended Abstract Introuction This study aims to examine building modern irrigation networks to provide the possibility of productivity of water and soil resources by creating facilities, in which the optimal technical principles and criteria of hydraulic and economic design ... Read More Extended Abstract Introuction This study aims to examine building modern irrigation networks to provide the possibility of productivity of water and soil resources by creating facilities, in which the optimal technical principles and criteria of hydraulic and economic design are observed. In this regard, the main water transfer channel plays a vital and exceptional role in supplying the required water for agricultural lands covered by the network and for the prosperity of the regional and national agricultural economy. Covering the water transmission channels in operation is always one of the numerous problems and problems of operation and maintenance of large irrigation networks in the world. In Iran, due to the major issues and problems of exploitation in the lands covered by modern networks, such as land drainage due to water leakage from the bodies of earthen canals, concrete covering of canals has always been considered to prevent water wastage, and it is on the agenda. The deputy of water resources affairs of the Ministry of Energy and regional water companies was established. The main canal of the South Moghan irrigation network in Iran with a transfer capacity of 80 cubic meters per second, the main channel of Upper Garabagh with a capacity of 110 cubic meters per second and the main water transfer channel of Upper Shirvan with a capacity of 85 cubic meters per second in the Republic of Azerbaijan are among them. Material and Methods The withdrawal of water needed by the Moghan irrigation and drainage network from the Aras River is directed through the Mil and Moghan diversion dam before entering the main channel to a sediment catchment basin to trap suspended sediments in it. This calm sediment collection pond with a maximum water intake of 95 cubic meters per second has four rectangular units and each unit consists of three galleries, 15 cubic meters of which are returned to the river after washing, and the rest enters the main channel. In the current state, due to the reduction of vegetation in the middle basin of the Aras River at a distance of 260 km from the Aras Reservoir Dam upstream of the Mil and Moghan Diversion Dam and the subsequent increase in the concentration of suspended load in the Aras River, the trapping efficiency of the suspended load in the sedimentation basin has decreased to its minimum value. For this reason, sediments exceeding the permissible limit of 18 to 25 g/L enter the water transfer channel. Even though more than 45 years of the useful life of the network have passed, covering operations of the main channel with materials, such as impermeable soil (compaction of bed soil, cover with a thin compacted layer of clay, cover with bentonite) or concrete cover to prevent washing water and reduce water loss from the earthen body of the main channel has happened very little and locally. Results and Discussion Considering the necessity of realizing the research objectives, the feasibility of using the proposed method to carry out the executive operations of improvement, reconstruction, and concrete covering of the soil section of the canal, without interrupting the water flow in the main water transmission channel of South Moghan from its kilometer 1 to 11, was conducted (Hasanpour and Tabatabai, 2010). The method of constructing a temporary diverting channel along the main channel by constructing earthen dikes in the cross-section of the main channel to cut off the water flow within the scope of operational operations of the enclosed sections between the dikes and directing the required water flow by creating a diverting section in the side wall of the channel upstream of the earthen dike into the temporary diversion channel and re-directing the water flow through the end earthen dyke downstream into the main channel for the implementation of repair and reconstruction operations and concrete coating in several operating intervals of the earth section of the channel without interrupting the water flow by spending exorbitant costs of the construction operation of the temporary diversion channel and the concrete cover of the main channel were done. Therefore, due to the imposition of excessive and unconventional financial burden in the method of using a temporary diversion channel on the implementation of the main channel modification and reconstruction plan, to reduce the excessive conventional costs, the new method of "wall structure of mobile separating blades" as a solution suitable and cost-effective for its use and application in the repair and reconstruction of the canal was suggested. The regional water company also promised to assist in the application and use of the new technology proposed to operate the project in the main Moghan canal, based on the urgent need and necessity of the issue. In this method, the minimum cost is 2.7 times lower than the cost of constructing a diversion channel per unit length (1 km). Also, in carrying out dredging operations, cleaning and smoothing the section of the main canal of southern Moghan, similar to the long-boom excavator, which was invented by Professor Telman Hajief to carry out dredging operations in special conditions and channels with large sections, using modern technology, was used. (Hashmi-Shadheni et al., 2016) Conclusions Since the well-known methods and proposals are accompanied by defects even after completion, therefore a new effective method was developed under the title of "mobile separating blade wall method", which is the mechanism of operationalizing the technical and technological parameters of its construction widely. It was investigated and researched. First, the operation of the mobile separating blade wall structure in laboratory conditions was investigated experimentally. The division of the main channel sections in the method of the mobile separating blade wall structure, drying the enclosed operation field, carrying out soil operations, concreting, and its technological technology was presented, and determined, that in this method, carrying out the operation of covering the sections of the water transmission channel using concrete panels Arme will be ready, easier and very affordable. Also, the calculation of the technical and economic comparison indicators of the construction, along with the transfer of the required costs downstream with different methods showed that the mobile dividing wall method is very suitable and economical in terms of technical, technological, and economic aspects in the major repairs and reconstruction of the main channels. The proposed method is a new technique that for its application in production, there will be an urgent need to conduct practical research in nature. Therefore, it is suggested that the presented method be conducted and evaluated for other networks so that all the country's networks can be improved and modified more cost-effectively.

A Review of Water Consumption Management Indicators of different Crops in Iran

Volume 25, Issue 94 , June 2024, , Pages 1-16

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2024.364605.1569

Abstract

Extended AbstractIntroduction In terms of water consumption in different sectors, in Iran as in other countries, a significant part of surface and groundwater resources is used in agricultural sector. For the amount of water consumed in Iran's agricultural sector, different numbers have been reported ... Read More Extended AbstractIntroduction In terms of water consumption in different sectors, in Iran as in other countries, a significant part of surface and groundwater resources is used in agricultural sector. For the amount of water consumed in Iran's agricultural sector, different numbers have been reported in various sources. In the past three decades, water consumption in agricultural sector in various sources and methods has been reported between 44 and 86 billion cubic meters (Movaheddanesh, 1994; Ghodratnema, 1998; Mohammad-Vali-Samani, 2005; Nasseri et al., 2017; 2018). The physical water productivity is also one of the important indicators of irrigation management, which is determined by using the amount of product produced per unit of applied irrigation water. Abbasi et al. (2017) estimated and analyzed water productivity values in Iran for different years. They estimated the values of water productivity varying from 0.94 to 1.29 kg/m3 and average being 1.07 kg/m3. Abbasi et al. (2019) also showed that water productivity index in Iran had an upward trend with a slope of 0.045 kg per year. It varied from 1.0 kg/m3 in 2008 to about 1.45 kg/m3 in 2017. Past researches regarding the estimation of water consumption in agricultural sector have been reported with estimation methods such as water balance method, which was not accurate and was associated with errors. On the other hand, the figures presented for the amount of water consumed in agricultural sector are very different and there are doubts about their accuracy. Despite the importance of the issue, accurate information on the amount of irrigation water for agricultural crops in different regions of Iran is not available and this issue has always been one of the main concerns of the water industry managers and planners. Therefore, carrying out a research work that leads to more accurate numbers about the amount of applied irrigation water for different crops, can be of great help to the decision-making of officials related to water and agriculture. The main goal of this article is a comprehensive evaluation of water management indicators in agricultural sector (including the water productivity and applied irrigation water for different crops). MethodologyField measurements including applied irrigation water and crop yield were carried out for at least one cropping season in the production hubs of each crop. Twelve crops included 12 wheat, rice, barley, fodder corn, alfalfa, sugar beet, sugar cane, beans, sunflower, cotton, rapeseed, and soybean, 17 garden crops included saffron, apple, olive, orange, tangerine, peach, nectarine, plum, lemon, fig, grape, date, pomegranate, walnut, almond, pistachio, and cherry and 6 vegetable and summer crops were tomato, watermelon, potato, cucumber, melon, and onion. These crops covered more than 85% of the cultivated area and irrigated lands in different provinces. For each crop, applied irrigation water was measured in a crop season and the yield for one year or the average of two years, but for garden plants, due to climate changes and frost damages, the average yield of 1-3 years was determined and used in the analysis. Physical water productivity of irrigation water from the ratio of crop yield to applied irrigation water and water productivity from the ratio of crop yield to water (total volume of irrigation water and effective precipitation) and gross income per unit of applied irrigation water was calculated from the product of crop yield in the sales price divided by the applied irrigation water. In this research, the cluster analysis model was used to determine the homogeneous crops. Results and DiscussionThe results showed that applied irrigation water for different crops varied from 3984 for rapeseed to 32500 cubic meters per hectare for sugarcane. So that the weighted average applied irrigation water of 35 studied crops was determined to be 8032 cubic meters per hectare. This index was 9162, 7669 and 7247 cubic meters per hectare for garden, agricultural, vegetable and summer crops, respectively. Also, the total applied water used for the 35 studied crops was estimated at 61.7 billion cubic meters and the total irrigation water for other crops that were not evaluated in this research was estimated at 9.4 billion cubic meters. The total water used in irrigated crops was estimated at 71 billion cubic meters, which was about 70% of the total renewable water in Iran. The weighted average of irrigation water productivity and water productivity of the studied crops was determined as 1.9 and 1.5 kg/m3, respectively. Saffron and pistachio provided the highest gross income per unit of irrigation water and sugarcane, soybean, barley, fodder corn, wheat and alfalfa had the lowest values. ConclusionsThe results of this research provided valuable information for managers and decision makers in different provinces of Iran.

Evaluation of environmental performance of mole drain on rice cultivation in paddy fields

Volume 24, Issue 92 , March 2024, , Pages 131-106

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2024.365355.1575

Abstract

Extended Abstract Introduction It is possible to effectively control water in paddy fields, prevent flooding problems, and create optimal conditions for the growth of agricultural products with simultaneous and correct management of irrigation and drainage. Due to the high initial cost of the construction ... Read More Extended Abstract Introduction It is possible to effectively control water in paddy fields, prevent flooding problems, and create optimal conditions for the growth of agricultural products with simultaneous and correct management of irrigation and drainage. Due to the high initial cost of the construction of subsurface drainage, Mole drainage is a suitable and more economical alternative in clay soils. Constructing the mole drain at a critical depth and passing the water through the cracks, improves the soil conditions and removes excess water from the soil surface. Mulqueen (1985), reported that gravel mole drain is a suitable alternative to traditional mole drain. Considering the limited studies in the field of mole drainage, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of low-cost mole drainage for draining excess water from paddy fields and its environmental effects. Therefore, the effect of traditional mole and gravel mole drain on drainage water quality and control of the water table of paddy fields in the mid and end of rice season was investigated. Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted in the agricultural year of 2022-2023 in the research farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan (IRAN). The split-plot experiment was implemented in a randomized complete block design in three replications under the main drainage treatment on two levels: (1) Traditional mole drain (without gravel) and (2) Gravel mole drain and the sub-treatment of irrigation method in two levels: (1) Flood irrigation and (2) Alternative irrigation. In the stages of tillering and harvesting, mid and end season drainage were done respectively. During the drainage period, the water table was measured with a piezometer. By sampling the drainage water, its quality parameters including acidity, electrical conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, sulfate, chloride, total suspended and dissolved solids, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and ammonium were measured. The results of the investigated treatments were statistically analyzed using SAS software. Results and Discussion With the start of mid season drainage, after one day, the water table reached the middle of the soil profile and more than half of the root development depth was in anaerobic conditions. Five days after the drainage in the traditional mole drain, the depth of root development was in aerobic conditions. The highest value in average acidity and sodium adsorption ratio was 6.99 and 4.65 meq/l respectively in mid season in gravel mole drain and flood irrigation. The highest concentration of ammonium and nitrate in mid season drainage was 0.20 and 0.21 mg/l, respectively, and the highest average electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids at the end season were 3845 µS/cm and 2475 mg/l, respectively, in traditional mole drain and flood irrigation. In mid and end season drainage, the amount of total suspended solids in the mole drain with gravel was 60% and 88% higher than the traditional mole drain, respectively. The highest concentration of nitrite was obtained in the gravel mole drain and flood irrigation with a value of 6.75 mg/l during mid season drainage. The average concentration of phosphate and sulfate in gravel mole drain compared to the traditional mole in mid and end season decreased by 25 and 30%, respectively, and sulfate by 3 and 5.5%. Also, the average concentration of chloride in the gravel mole drain was lower than the traditional one. Conclusion The comparison of results indicated that the average amounts of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sodium adsorption ratio, sodium, ammonium, phosphate, sulfate, and chloride of drainage water in mid and end season were lower in gravel mole drain than that in traditional one. The results of statistical analysis showed that the treatment of drainage, irrigation, and time at the level of one and five percent were effective on most of the parameters, while the values of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and nitrite of the drainage water showed that their difference was not significant. The traditional mole drain was more successful in controlling the water table. A comparison of the quality parameters of drainage water with the standard of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization for the discharge of drainage water into surface waters showed that most of the parameters, except for ammonium and total suspended solids, were within the permissible limits.

Discharge Prediction in Flumes with Trapezoidal Contraction by Machine Learning Techniques

Volume 24, Issue 90 , August 2023, , Pages 55-70

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2023.363054.1549

Abstract

Extended Abstract Introduction The effective use of water for irrigation requires that flow discharge and flow volume be measured carefully. Venturi flumes are widely-used structures for monitoring flow discharges in canal networks (Venturi tubes used in pipelines). Venturi was the first that observed ... Read More Extended Abstract Introduction The effective use of water for irrigation requires that flow discharge and flow volume be measured carefully. Venturi flumes are widely-used structures for monitoring flow discharges in canal networks (Venturi tubes used in pipelines). Venturi was the first that observed the effect of a local contraction in a conduit on flow velocity distribution. The Venturi flumes have a local constriction. These devices may be built in different shapes and generally are very accurate when operated under free outflow conditions. Longitudinal section of the Venturi flumes has a constant bottom slope, or the bottom has a local sill or hump. The Venturi flume with an arc-shaped inlet is referred to as Khafagi flume. Montana flume is also a flume without diverging downstream wall. The polygonal-shaped flumes are simpler in construction than curve-shaped flumes and are less expensive due to plan shaped elements. The Parshall flume is characterized by a specific shape with variousdegrees of convergence and divergence. Since development of the Parshall flume in 1926, many studies have been made to simplify, reduce construction costs, increase performance and accuracy of the flumes. A review of the literature of the subject shows that the study of hydraulics in flow measurement flumes is mainly based on laboratory research, and although numerical modeling is of interest, due to the complexity of the geometry of the section and the Contraction of the triangular shape, their accuracy is not reported to be acceptable. On the other hand, researchers have tried to develop and use soft computing models to estimate flow characteristics in such sections due to the hydraulic complexity of these types of flumes, which according to published reports, their accuracy has been suitable in all types of sections. Therefore, in this research, the development of data group classification model, support vector machine (SVM) model and random forest algorithm were developed to estimate the Discharge in flumes with triangular contraction. Methodology By investigating the hydraulics of flow in flumes, researchers have found that the Discharge depends on the width of the contraction at the location of the structure, the horizontal and vertical slopes of the triangular walls, and the relative depth of the flow. Therefore, in the present study, for the development of GMDH, SVM and RF models, five dimensionless input parameters were considered. GMDH algorithm has been widely used in solving various hydraulic engineering problems. One of the most important applications of this method is the estimation of erosion around the bridge base, downstream of the cup-shaped launcher, and the discharge coefficient of flow measurement structures such as overflows. The SVM model is divided into two main groups a) Support Vector Classification model and b) Support Vector Regression model or SVR for short. The support vector machine classification model is used to solve data classification problems that are placed in different classes, and the support vector machine regression model is used to solve forecasting problems. Results and Discussion First, the collected data are divided into two categories, training and testing. It should be noted that the number of collected data is 592, and in this research, 80% of the data was assigned to training and the remaining 20% to testing. The training data is used for calibration and the test data is used for validation. Due to the fact that the collected data do not have a time series nature, they were randomly assigned to each of the training and testing groups. First, the results of the random forest model are presented. The reason for the priority of presenting the results of the random forest model compared to other modes used in this research is the identification of the most important effective parameters in the development process of the random forest model in the modeling and estimation of Discharge. Conclusions First, the collected data are divided into two categories, training and testing. It should be noted that the number of collected data is 592, and in this research, 80% of the data was assigned to training and the remaining 20% to testing. The training data is used for calibration and the test data is used for validation. Due to the fact that the collected data do not have a time series nature, they were randomly assigned to each of the training and testing groups. First, the results of the random forest model are presented. The reason for the priority of presenting the results of the random forest model compared to other modes used in this research is the identification of the most important effective parameters in the development process of the random forest model in the modeling and estimation of Discharge. table 1- Error statistics of the models developed in the training and testing stages Test Train Model RMSE RMSE 0.02 0.900 0.02 0.902 Random Forest 0.034 0.805 0.033 0.818 GMDH 0.016 0.951 0.015 0.982 SVM

Investigating the Volume of Applied Water and Agricultural Water Productivity in Olive Production in Qazvin Province

Volume 24, Issue 90 , August 2023, , Pages 1-16

https://doi.org/10.22092/idser.2023.361138.1531

Abstract

Extended AbstractIntroductionDespite the importance of determining indicators of water consumption management in the agricultural sector for use in national macro-planning, so far, indicators of water consumption management in the production of agricultural and horticultural crops have received less ... Read More Extended AbstractIntroductionDespite the importance of determining indicators of water consumption management in the agricultural sector for use in national macro-planning, so far, indicators of water consumption management in the production of agricultural and horticultural crops have received less attention. This matter is of double importance regarding the programs to improve the efficiency of water consumption. In this regard, the determination of the volume of applied water, as one of the important and influential indicators in agricultural planning, should be considered. Therefore, conducting a research that can lead to more accurate information about the volume of water used for various agricultural and horticultural crops in the country is necessary, and its results can be of great help to the decision-making of officials related to water and agriculture.The review of the conducted research showed that the accurate determination and monitoring of the current status of water consumption management indicators, including the volume of water consumed and the efficiency of irrigation water, as part of the important and influential indicators in agricultural planning in different regions of the world. Several studies have been conducted focusing on the analysis of the volume of olive water consumed in different places. Meanwhile, the researches done inside the country are mainly focused on the analysis of water needs, estimation of evapotranspiration, effects of lack of irrigation in different stages of growth and recognition of drought tolerant varieties of olives, and estimation of the amount of water consumed by olives. The monitoring of the current situation of water resources exploitation in olive groves in the country has received less attention. In this research, regardless the amount of water needed for evaporation and transpiration of olive plants, the amount of water consumed by olive growers in Qazvin province during the cropping season of 2017-2018 has been measured.MethodologyQazvin province is one of the main regions of olive production in the country, and the most important olive growing areas of the province are located in Tarom region, the area between Gilan and Zanjan provinces. The area of olive orchards in the province in 2017 was 9,300 hectares, and the area of fertile olive orchards was about 6,500 hectares. Also, the average yield of olives in the province is estimated at 2977 kg/hectare. This research was conducted with the aim of directly measuring the water consumption of olives in the olive production region of Qazvin province (Tarom region). Olive is the main product of gardeners in most villages of this region and is the only source of income for many villagers. So that more than 90% of gardeners' economy depends on the production of olives, and olives are their main product in 45 villages out of 105 villages in the region. In this regard, due to the severe limitation of water resources in the region and the development of new olive orchards, it is necessary to pay attention to the volume of water consumed by the orchards and plan based on the monitoring of the current state of water resources exploitation. In this research, measuring the amount of olive water consumed by considering various factors such as irrigation method, size of garden plots, soil texture, quality of water and soil resources, planting intervals and the level of education of the users were done. For this purpose, gardens for measuring water consumption were chosen in such a way as to cover the diversity of these factors. The volume of water given was measured with WSC flume (depending on the flow rate from type 3 to 5) or ultrasonic flow meter without interfering in the farmers' irrigation program. In the current research, in order to monitor the flow rate of the pumping station in drip irrigation systems, an ultrasonic flow meter device model PERCISION FLOW190PD was used and after the hydraulic test and calibration, the flow rate of the pumping station was measured in the selected gardens. After determining the amount of water entering the garden by carefully monitoring the garden irrigation schedule (watering time, irrigation cycle, irrigation times during the growth period), the amount of water consumed by the olive crop was measured for each of the selected gardens. Also, effective rainfall was estimated by SCS method. The water requirement of the reference plant was prepared and estimated using the Penman-Monteith method using the average data of the last 10 years for the target area from the nearest meteorological station. The water requirement of the reference plant was converted to the net water requirement of the plant by applying the plant coefficient. The yield of the crop at the end of the cropping season was also measured and the efficiency of water consumption was calculated and compared in each of the studied orchards.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that the range of irrigation water depth changes was between 5 and 30 mm with an average of 18 mm and a standard deviation of 17.7 mm. The minimum and maximum times of irrigations were 18 and 90 with an average of 39 and a standard deviation of 19.91. The average volume of applied water in the studied olive orchards in Tarom region was 6006 m3/ha with a standard deviation of 1517 m3/ha in all types of irrigation methods. The average yield of olives in the studied orchards in 2018 was equal to 5.46 tons/ha with a standard deviation of 4.8 tons/ha, which was higher than the average yield of olive in Qazvin province (3 tons/ha). According to the amount of water consumed and the yield, the average irrigation water efficiency in the studied orchards was 1.13 kg/m3 and the irrigation water efficiency and effective rainfall was equal to 0.78 kg/m3. In this regard, the highest index of agricultural water productivity index was recorded in dense olive groves of the region with the amount of 3.58 kg/m3. The most important reasons for the high agricultural water productivity index can be mentioned such as appropriate plant nutrition, proper fertilization of the land, soil texture modification, observance of horticulture principles, low-problem irrigation system, regular and correct irrigation cycle, and trained workers.Conclusions What can be concluded from this study is that water is not the only factor and input influencing the performance of olive product, several factors are also involved. In other words, the yield of the product can be increased even with less water consumption and with the management of other inputs and the technical and management conditions of the garden. This issue is very important in the country's water shortage situation where most of the trustees and operators focus on water management to increase performance. In general, it can be said that the performance of olive product, in addition to water, depends on various other factors, paying attention to each of them can play a more important role in improving performance and increasing productivity. Also, the comparison of the average volume of water consumed and the average water requirement of the olive crop indicates that the average amount of water given to olives (6006 m3/ha) is less than its actual requirement, both based on the recent 10-year meteorological data and it is also based on the information of the National Water Document. So, in general, it can be said that there is a lack of irrigation in the gardens. On the other hand, due to severe climate changes in recent years, there has been a big difference between the calculated values of the water requirement of crops and the information of the National Agricultural Water Document, which shows the need to update the National Agricultural Water Document in different regions of the country.

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