ABSTRACT
Abstract Water availability has ever more becoming a limiting factor to the agricultural development. Efficient water use can be achieved by appropriate water management. This leads to higher yield, reduced production costs and, ultimately, maximum investment returns Furthermore, the use efficient water management and application techniques are essential for sustainable agricultural development, based on the best use of the natural resources This paper has as objectives to study the reduction of the net revenue due to deficient or excessive water application, determine the effects of uniformity of water distribution on the irrigation depth that maximizes economical profits, and provide information to optimize operation of sprinkler irrigation systems for a bean crop in Piracicaba, Brazil. The results showed that minimization of revenue losses is related to the uniformity of water distribution of the irrigation system, the commodity price, and the irrigation costs. The best operation of irrigation systems, determined from optimization of strategies to maximize net profits, showed satisfactory to improve water application efficiency, water storage efficiency, and appropriate irrigated area. When maximization of net revenue is the objective function, the uniformity of water distribution, the cost of the applied water and the commodity price are decisive factors for the optimization of irrigation systems Keywords: Optimization, sprinkler irrigation, uniformity.
