A soil water indicator for a dynamic model of crop and soil water interaction.

Water scarcity is a critical issue in agriculture, and the development of reliable methods for determining soil water content is crucial for effective water management. This study proposes a novel, theoretical, non-physiological indicator of soil water content obtained by applying the next-generation matrix method, which reflects the water-soil-crop dynamics and identifies the minimum viable value of soil water content for crop growth. The development of this indicator is based on a two-dimensional, nonlinear dynamic that considers two different irrigation scenarios: the first scenario involves constant irrigation, and the second scenario irrigates in regular periods by assuming each irrigation as an impulse in the system.