Suitability assessment of drained agricultural land in eastern Croatia for irrigation purposes

The intensification of climate change in the area of Eastern Croatia is leading to more frequent and longer drought periods, resulting in changes in the water regime of the area and difficulties in managing soil and water for agricultural purposes. For this reason, there is an increasing need for the construction of irrigation systems for stable and profitable agricultural production. Therefore, this study aims to determine the suitability for irrigation of drained agricultural land in the Eastern Croatia area. Data from the meteorological stations Osijek-Čepin and Gradište kod Županje were used to analyze basic climate indicators for the period from 2003 to 2022. A slight trend of decreasing annual precipitation and increasing monthly air temperatures by 0.09°C per year was identified. High variability of precipitation and continuous increase in water deficit and decrease in water surplus in soil were also determined. Regarding the suitability classes for irrigation needs, on the researched drained agricultural land in Eastern Croatia (with a total area of 74,871.2 ha), the P-2 class is the most represented (63.2%), followed by the P-3 class (26.0%) and the P-1 class (9.8%). Only 1 % of the researched area were classified as unsuitable (N-1 class), and the permanently unsuitable N-2 class was not identified