Drought represents significant environmental stress, and improving agriculture water management and yield is a priority goal. The effect of diminishing soil water content in the grain filling (GF) stage, throughout physiological maturity (GM), on the yield and grain quality, leaf water potential (LWP), and maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) in four long photoperiod quinoa genotypes was evaluated in the South-Central zone of Chile, during the 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 seasons. Five irrigation treatments (T) were established. Irrigation was carried out when the available water (AW) of the root zone reached values of 100%, 70%, 40%, 20%, and 0%. The lowest LWP values were obtained by T20 and T0 (−1.95 MPa). The ‘Morado’ genotype reached the lowest LWP at both seasons, while the highest average LWP was achieved by the ‘AG 2010’ (2014–2015) and ‘Cahuil’ genotypes (2015–2016). A global trend of Fv/Fm values was observed from GF to GM: 0.74 toward 0.79 (2014/2015), and 0.74 toward 0.82 (2015/2016). Only during the second season, Fv/Fm showed differences among irrigation treatments. Total average grain yields in the second season (2.97 t ha⁻¹) were greater than those in the first season (1.43 t ha⁻¹). In both seasons, the ‘Cahuil’ genotype and T100 reached the highest yields. A significative decrease in yield was observed when AW diminished. A direct relationship between seed yield and leaf water potential (ΔY/ΔLWP) was found in all genotypes, varying between 5.53 (‘Cahuil’) and 2.86 t ha⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ (‘AG 2010’). Total proteins, albumins, and globulins varied between seasons, with almost no differences among irrigation treatments. Only the ‘Morado’ genotype showed a slight trend to obtain a higher content of total protein in both seasons. It is possible to grow quinoa under irrigation deficit conditions between GF throughout GM, maintaining yield parameters and nutritional quality.

Chile is the world’s leading producer of ‘Carménère’ (Vitis vinifera L.), which in turn is an important variety in Chile, where vineyards are typically grown under irrigated conditions and a large percentage are located in valleys with similar water table levels to those of the study area. Different irrigation management strategies have been used to improve wine quality, such as water stress and deficit irrigations, but the presence of a water table has not been considered in extant literature. This study analyzes the effects of the irrigation regime on grape yield and wine quality when a shallow water table is located between 1.5 to 2.2 m depth during the irrigation season. Five applied water treatments: 0%, 20%, 40%, 75%, and 100% of estimated vineyard evapotranspiration (ET_c) were applied in an own-rooted ‘Carménère’ vineyard located in the Peumo Valley (Chile) during three consecutive seasons (2004-2005 to 2006-2007). Applying 1400 to 9400 m³ ha^-1 per season (100% ET_c) had no substantial effect on the measured quality parameters, although grape production in the treatment without irrigation (0% ET_c) was significantly reduced. Applying water at 20% to 40% ET_c produced high yield (13 to 16 t ha^-1), double the historical mean production, and high quality wine with the presence of a water table close to the bottom of the root zone.

Approximately 85% of the water consumed in Chile is destined to agricultural irrigation and is managed by the users themselves. This study analyzed the price that irrigation water users pay to their Water User Associations (WUAs) to which they belong and the relationship of this price to the professional level and performance of the WUAs. The study included 24 WUAs: 10 River Administration Boards (JV) and 14 Irrigation Canal Associations (AC). The annual operational budget of each WUA, the price paid by users and the management capacities of the board of directors of each WUA were compared. The study also determined the relative value of user payments to WUAs as a proportion of total production costs of the main crops in each zone. The variability of user fees per irrigated hectare decreases when the irrigation area of the WUA is more than 10 000 ha, though this was not observed in JVs. The presence of technical-professional staff directly affects the development and growth of the WUAs. As well, the WUAs with a greater level of capacity development (NDC) have more board members with a higher education level and have lower rates of unpaid user fees. The price that users pay to the WUA by irrigated hectare represents less than 4.0% of the average total production cost of the main crops in the study area. Finally, no correlation was found between the prices that users pay and the average profitability of the main crops, or between price and the geographical location of the WUAs.