Decision tool finds crop patterns balancing profit, water and nitrogen

A decision-support framework for irrigated farming in Iran’s Darion Plain identified cropping patterns that reduced unnecessary water use and nitrogen leaching while preserving much of the profitability of current management. The study combined the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer, or DSSAT, with a multi-objective optimization method to examine alternatives during the 2022–2023 growing season.

The researchers used an augmented ε-constraint method to generate Pareto-optimal solutions that simultaneously maximized economic profitability and minimized water loss. Nitrogen leaching was treated as an environmental outcome under a fixed nitrogen application rate. This formulation allowed the analysis to show which compromises were possible between farm returns and environmental pressures rather than optimizing for a single target.

Current management practices in the study area were found to consume more water than necessary and to produce elevated nitrogen leaching. The optimized cropping patterns could substantially reduce these environmental impacts without causing major economic losses. The results therefore indicate that changing the arrangement of crops and their irrigation management can improve resource performance without requiring a large sacrifice in profitability.

The framework also assigned an implicit economic value to water savings through a shadow-price approach. This converted reductions in water loss into an economic cost avoided, making the financial value of alternative cropping patterns easier to compare. Taken together, the DSSAT integration, multi-objective optimization and shadow-price analysis created a practical tool for evaluating trade-offs among profit, water consumption and nitrogen loss. The work was conducted in one irrigated plain during one growing season, so the findings do not establish performance across other regions, seasons or farming systems. The authors nevertheless present the approach as a decision-support option for farmers and policymakers seeking to balance short-term returns with long-term agricultural sustainability.

Subject of Research: Multi-objective decision support for balancing crop profitability, irrigation water loss and nitrogen leaching.

Article Title: A decision support tool for sustainable cropping pattern and irrigation management under water and nitrogen trade offs

Article References: Fouladi, H., Tarazkar, M. H., & Zibaei, M. (2026). A decision support tool for sustainable cropping pattern and irrigation management under water and nitrogen trade offs. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04797-z

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04797-z

Keywords: agricultural sustainability, DSSAT, irrigation management, cropping patterns, water scarcity, nitrogen leaching, multi-objective optimization, farming profitability, Iran, decision, support, tool