%0 Journal Article %9 ACL : Articles dans des revues avec comité de lecture répertoriées par l'AERES %A Dellaly, V. %A Bellakanji, A. C. %A Chakroun, H. %A Saadi, S. %A Boulet, Gilles %A Zribi, M. %A Chabaane, Z. L. %T Water footprint of cereals by remote sensing in Kairouan Plain (Tunisia) %D 2024 %L fdi:010089546 %G ENG %J Remote Sensing %K crop evapotranspiration ; S-SEBI ; yield ; water footprint ; remote sensing %K TUNISIE %M ISI:001160352700001 %N 3 %P 491 [22 ] %R 10.3390/rs16030491 %U https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010089546 %> https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2024-03/010089546.pdf %V 16 %W Horizon (IRD) %X This article aims to estimate the water footprint (WF) of cereals-specifically, wheat and barley-in the Kairouan plain, located in central Tunisia. To achieve this objective, two components must be determined: actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and crop yield. The study covers three growing seasons from 2010 to 2013. The ETa estimation employed the S-SEBI (simplified surface energy balance index) model, utilizing Landsat 7 and 8 optical and thermal infrared spectral bands. For yield estimation, an empirical model based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was applied. Results indicate the effectiveness of the S-SEBI model in estimating ETa, demonstrating an R2 of 0.82 and an RMSE of 0.45 mm/day. Concurrently, yields mapped over the area range between 6 and 77 qx/ha. Globally, cereals' average WF varied from 1.08 m3/kg to 1.22 m3/kg over the three study years, with the majority below 1 m3/kg. Notably in dry years, the importance of the blue WF is emphasized compared to years with average rainfall (WFb-2013 = 1.04 m3/kg, WFb-2012 = 0.61 m3/kg, WFb-2011 = 0.41 m3/kg). Moreover, based on an in-depth agronomic analysis combining yields and WF, four classes were defined, ranging from the most water efficient to the least, revealing that over 30% of cultivated areas during the study years (approximately 40% in 2011 and 2012 and 29% in 2013) exhibited low water efficiency, characterized by low yields and high WF. A unique index, the WFI, is proposed to assess the spatial variability of green and blue water. Spatial analysis using the WFI highlighted that in 2012, 40% of cereal plots with low yields but high water consumption were irrigated (81% blue water compared to 6% in 2011). %$ 072 ; 126