TITLE:
Estimation of Water Requirements with a View to Wind-Powered Pumping for the Optimal Irrigation of Date Palms at the Initial Growth Stage in the Sahel of Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Moussa Tissologo, Anani Mawuegnan Messan, Seydou Ouedraogo
KEYWORDS:
Date Palm, Sahel, Evapotranspiration, Irrigation, Water Requirements
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.18 No.8,
August
5,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study aims to estimate the irrigation water requirements of a young date palm plantation located in Dori, within the Sahelian region of Burkina Faso. The Cropwat 8.0 software, based on the FAO Penman-Monteith method, was used to estimate reference evapotranspiration, effective rainfall, and crop irrigation water requirements from climatic, soil, and crop data. Simulations carried out for a 1-hectare plantation revealed that reference evapotranspiration ranged from 1.68 mm/day in December to 5.55 mm/day in June, while crop coefficients varied between 0.40 and 0.50. The annual water requirement of the date palm plantation exceeded 2559 mm, corresponding to a pumping demand of more than 23,196 m3 of water per year. These findings provide a scientific basis for the design and sizing of efficient drip irrigation systems and contribute to the sustainable development of date palm cultivation across the African Sahel.