Submitted to: Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 17, 2009
Publication Date: December 5, 2009
Citation: Evett, S.R., Mazahreh, N., Jitan, M., Shaqir, I.M. 2009. The Middle Eastern Regional Irrigation Management Information Systems project-update [abstract]. International Symposium on Olive Irrigation and Oil Quality, December 6-10, 2009, Nazareth, Israel. p.2. Technical Abstract: The Middle Eastern Regional Irrigation Management Information Systems Project (MERIMIS) was formulated at a meeting of experts from the region in Jordan in 2003. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, it is a cooperative regional project bringing together participants from Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority, and the United States. It was conceived as a weather-based irrigation scheduling system aimed to aid producers and based on knowledge of crop water use to be developed in the several climatic zones of the three countries. A network of 10 weather stations was developed; three in Jordan, four in Palestine, and three in Israel. The National Centre for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE) in Jordan has also supplemented the network with six weather stations there. Training and consultation have occurred at several workshops (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008), a training course on irrigation water management and scientific writing in Amman in 2007, and through visiting scientist stays at ARS laboratories in California and Texas. Irrigation trials have been conducted on cucumber (Jenin and Tamra), onion (Dayr Allah), palm (Jericho and Dayr Allah), and olive (Baqa Al-Gharbie). Two reports on olive irrigation have been prepared. In 2008, a large weighing lysimeter was completed and put into service at the NCARE Dayr Allah Research Station in the Jordan Valley for measurement of crop water use in that unique environment more than 200 m below sea level. So far, sweet corn and tomato water use have been measured. Future MERIMIS efforts are aimed at extending results of trials and crop water use measurements in the form of knowledge useful to irrigators.