Olive trees are one of the few alternative crops available for farmers in arid environments. In many of these regions, surface irrigation is increasing. The aim of this study was to estimate the pattern of water soil reserves through the season considering different climatic scenarios, limitations in irrigation scheduling, and irrigation systems. Modeling was performed with the most common type of soil, and a tree density of 10 × 10 m was used. Three different climatic scenarios were estimated using eighteen agroclimatic stations along the zone (Jaén, Spain). In these climatic scenarios, different irrigation strategies were considered. First, the percentages of maximum flow available (100%, 50%, and 33%) were used. In each of these flows, the days available for irrigation were considered: daily irrigation (IDD), 20 days per month (ID20), and no irrigation, during August (RDI). The results suggest that a 33% flow strategy, the most common in the surveyed area, would produce the greatest water-stress period in the most sensitive phenological stage. However, 100%, in all scenarios, and 50% (only IDD and RDI) would obtain the best water status. According to the estimated water applied, 50% was the most advisable strategy. However, in a minimum rainfall scenario, water needs could be excessive.

Soil water reserves are very important for irrigation scheduling in arid and semiarid conditions. In these regions, irrigated olive groves could save water and improve water resource management if the spatial and temporal patterns of water reserve were known. In this work, a large region characterized by olive monoculture located in Jaén, Spain was studied, as well as its water requirements and the evolution of the water reserve in the soil according to the time of year by using public data sources. In this way, climatic data, NDVI monthly mean, soil type, physicochemical and hydrological properties of the soil have been integrated in GIS by means of easy-to-use techniques. The results obtained from both the water balance and the evolution of water in the soil show that in the region studied, it is not advisable to manage a single irrigation schedule, as is currently the case, and that it is necessary to implement different irrigation times and strategies depending on the location of the plot. These results can serve as a basis for the design of specific irrigation schedules on daily, hourly or real-time time scales depending on the availability of data and the degree of precision sought.

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