Reconcile one period's root-zone water balance with measured ending depletion and an entered management-allowed depletion.
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
Starting root-zone depletion, period crop ET, effective rain, net root-zone irrigation, measured ending depletion and a management-specific allowed depletion
Calculated ending depletion, signed measured difference, allowed-depletion difference and any water beyond modeled refill
Reconciles one documented management period; it does not fabricate a fixed interval, runtime, application depth or season count
Choose your path
Reconcile one documented period/root-zone water balance with measured ending depletion and an externally selected management-allowed depletion.
Reproduce ending depletion from the period’s starting state, ET, effective rain and net irrigation.
Enter all four flows/states on one root-zone basis plus the measured ending state and plan threshold.
Sees measured and allowed-depletion differences.
Keep crop/stage, dates, ET source, rainfall effectiveness and soil/plant measurement method attached.
Compare only time-matched records and investigate residual differences externally.
Does not treat model residual as a calibrated sensor diagnosis.
Avoid a fixed interval that ignores forecast, field monitoring and system constraints.
Use the reconciliation with the current site-specific plan, root-zone AWC, weather and system capacity/uniformity.
Does not receive a fabricated date, runtime or 120-day count.
Outputs and checklists are planning aids. Review the linked current authorities and the records, terms, instructions, and requirements that apply to your exact situation before a consequential decision.
This tool is part of these guided projects. Each project provides step-by-step instructions with checklists and all the tools you need in one place.
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Add entered period crop ET to starting root-zone depletion, then subtract effective rain and net irrigation retained in the root zone. Floor calculated depletion at zero and separately report water beyond modeled refill.
Compare calculated ending depletion with a time-matched measured ending depletion and with the externally selected management-allowed depletion, retaining signed differences.
This closes one documented period; it does not issue the next irrigation date, runtime or depth. A schedule also needs root-zone AWC, crop stage, forecast, monitoring, system capacity/uniformity and the current site plan.
Updated: August 2026
An operator reconciles starting depletion, daily ET, effective rain and net irrigation with an ending sensor or field estimate.
A consultant checks a multi-day balance using one consistent field, root-zone, crop and date range.
A manager compares calculated depletion with an entered crop/stage/soil-specific management threshold without receiving an automatic trigger.
ET and effective precipitation change by crop stage, weather and period. Reconcile actual periods and update the current management record.
Use the documented amount retained in the managed root zone after application losses, runoff and deep percolation, or keep those losses explicit in the source record.
This worksheet closes one root-zone water-balance period and compares it with measurement and a management-specific depletion threshold. It removes the old fixed interval and fabricated 120-day season count.
