Abstract—This paper presents a teaching methodology for
introducing specific modeling tools and their methods in the
contents of the subject Irrigation Engineering, corresponding to
the degree of Agricultural Engineering in Spanish universities.
Modeling tools can be powerful educational resources allowing
for a better understanding of the physical problems addressed in
different subjects of scientific-technological careers. In
particular, a Gene Expression Programming based approach is
applied for estimating stem water potential, a key variable in
irrigation scheduling, and, consequently, a crucial issue for
Agricultural Engineers. This activity is scheduled in three
practical sessions for the mentioned subject. Students learn a
crucial topic in irrigation engineering and the fundamentals of a
very robust modeling tool. The application of this methodology
for solving a specific problem contributes to improving the
understanding of the theoretical topic scheduled in the subject
program. At the same time, students learn a new way of facing
specific problems that might be encountered in their
professional practice.
Index Terms—Modeling, GEP, FDR humidity probes,
irrigation, agricultural engineering.
Pau Martí is with the Department de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes
Balears, 07122, Spain (e-mail: pau.marti@uib.cat).
Jalal Shiri is with the Department of Water Engineering, University of
Tabriz, Iran (e-mail: j_shiri@yahoo.com).
María Gasque is with the Department of Applied Physics, Universitat
Politècnica de València, 46022, Spain (e-mail: mgasque@fis.upv.es).
Pablo González-Altozano is with the Department of Rural and Agrifood
Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022, Spain (e-mail:
pgaltozano@agf.upv.es).
Cite: Pau Martí, Jalal Shiri, María Gasque, and Pablo González-Altozano, "New Approaches for Teaching Irrigation Scheduling — Improving Understanding through Modeling Applications," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 95-99, 2017.