Yilmaz, Serhat , Angin, Ilker , Kocaman, Bahar
2026-06-01 APPLIED FRUIT SCIENCE 2026 68(卷), 3(期), (null页)
Turkiye is a water-stressed country with approximately 1313 m(3) of renewable freshwater per capita per year, where agriculture accounts for nearly 77% of total water use. Existing water footprint studies are generally aggregated at basin or provincial scales, limiting their ability to resolve climatic heterogeneity across Anatolia. This study quantifies green and blue water footprints and virtual water exports of Turkiye's three major export-oriented fruit crops-mandarin (Citrus reticulata), apple (Malus domestica), and grape (Vitis vinifera)-for 2019-2023 using a climate-zone-based framework to support sustainable irrigation and export planning. Daily meteorological data from 259 stations were aggregated into decadal intervals and analyzed across 29 agro-climatic zones using Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) CLIMWAT and CROPWAT 8.0. Reference evapotranspiration was calculated using the FAO Penman-Monteith equation and effective precipitation using the United States Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service (USDA-SCS) method. Crop water use was partitioned into green and blue components, while grey water was excluded. The analysis was restricted to fruit-bearing orchards, and results were aggregated across administrative scales while preserving climatic variability. Mean water footprints were 82 +/- 13 m(3) t(-1) for mandarin (similar to 57% blue), 94 +/- 9 m(3) t(-1) for apple (similar to 80% blue), and 786 +/- 76 m(3) t(-1) for grape (similar to 85% blue). Total virtual water exports were approximately 350, 587, and 2710 Mm(3), respectively. Strong spatial variability was observed, with green water contributions ranging from 5-12 m(3) t(-1) in arid regions to 140-200 m(3) t(-1) in humid zones, while blue water demand in eastern regions exceeded global benchmarks by up to fivefold. Overall, the results highlight pronounced regional disparities in agricultural water use and emphasize the need for spatially differentiated water management strategies, including crop zoning, irrigation optimization, and integration of water scarcity indicators into export policy.