Improving Wheat Production in Pakistan Through an Economically Viable Solar‐Powered Rain Gun Sprinkler Irrigation System

ABSTRACT In rainfed agriculture, limited water availability has become a challenging factor for sustainable farming and economic security. For regions with variable climate conditions, efficient water management practices must be adopted to improve livelihoods and food security. This study aimed to evaluate the role of supplemental irrigation for wheat crops in the Pothwar region. The irrigation management consists of I 0 (rainfed), I 1 (10 mm presowing), I 2 (10 mm at 50% soil moisture depletion [SMD]) and I 3 (25 mm at 75% SMD). The results revealed that, under I 3 , the grain yield increased by 49% and 17%, followed by I 2 (47% and 12%) compared to the rainfed yield of 1.85 and 3.93 tons/ha in Jand and NARC, respectively. The analysis of variance and Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test revealed that the yield for I 0 value was significantly lower than that of all the irrigation treatments, while there were no significant differences among I 1 , I 2 and I 3 . The net benefit analysis revealed that I 3 was an economic irrigation schedule and paid back the total intervention cost by generating PKR 389,915/ha at NARC and PKR 283,915/ha at Jand in 3.83 and 4.93 years, respectively. This viable economic return makes solar‐powered irrigation systems reliable sources of water for water‐scarce and climate‐variable regions.