Feasibility of desalination as an alternative to irrigation with water high in salts

The predicted profit from production of high-value, salinity-sensitive crops irrigated with either pure desalinated or desalinated blended with locally available brackish water was high enough to justify desalination for agriculture at prices expected in the market today, at least for mid- to large-capacity scale plants (> 1 MCM/yr). The coupled model, accessible as an online application (http://app.agri.gov.il/AnswerApp/) was demonstrated as an effective tool to evaluate the sensitivity of any or all variables affecting crop profitability, combining both sound agronomic, biological and physical understanding of crop growth and response processes with sound economic data and considerations.