Determination of complementary irrigation times for rainfed cultivation based on biomass optimization and soil erosion index in Yellow River Valley

Drought is the most important factor limiting the growth and production of wheat in China. Arid and semi-arid regions and high water consumption in the agricultural sector have led to various deficit irrigation strategies. The effect of the hydrological process on yield production has been evaluated in rainfed cultivation of wheat for the three climatic stations of Gansu Province, Yellow River Valley, China. A general framework was provided for rainfed cultivation of wheat in arid and semi-arid regions. Moreover, the best time and amount of complementary irrigation and its effect on increasing yield production have been evaluated using grey wolf optimization algorithm. The results showed that rainfed cultivation of wheat in a humid regime could be suggested without complementary irrigation. Conducting two complementary irrigations in semi-humid regime can increase the final yield of wheat by more than 150 kg/ha. The maximum yields in sustainable management were obtained 4,844, 4,510, and 4,408 kg/ha for Longnan, Tianshui, and Dingxi, respectively.