What is maximum allowable depletion (MAD)?
Maximum allowable depletion, or MAD, is a term used in reference to what is the allowable amount of water that can be withdrawn from the soil between irrigation events without stressing the crop to the point where significant reductions in crop yield or quality are experienced. Another explanation of MAD is: the maximum level of depletion to which the soil can dry without causing water deficit stress in a crop that has a fully expanded root zone; the sum of the readily available water in each soil horizon within the plant root zone with an allowance made for the soil water extraction pattern of the crop.
