Professional Documents
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CROP
Sub Topics
Water requirement
Water stress
Water Requirement
Crop water requirement is the water required by the plants for its survival, growth, development and to produce
economic parts. This requirement is applied either naturally by precipitation or artificially by irrigation.
Average Water requirement – 1100 mm
Average Water requirement (SRI) – 700 mm
The daily consumptive use of rice varies from 6-10 mm and total water is ranges from 1100 to 1250 mm depending
upon the agro climatic situation, duration of variety and characteristics of the soils.
Nursery 40 3.22
Nursery 40
Total 1240
During first one week just wet the soil by thin film of water.
Depth of irrigation may be increased to 2.5cm progressively along the
crop age.
Provide adequate drainage facilities to drain excess water or strictly follow
irrigation schedule of one day after disappearance of ponded water. Last
irrigation may be 15 days ahead of harvest.
Semi-dry rice
The crop is irrigated from 30-35 days onwards, utilizing water impounded
in the tanks.
Irrigation may be to a depth of 2.5 -5.0cm only. Follow the schedule of one
day after disappearance of ponded water in order to save water and to
bring additional area under this type of rice cultivation.
Precautions for irrigation (common)
The stage at which the water stress causes severe yield reduction is also known
as critical stage of water requirement. It is also known as moisture sensitive
period.
Active tillering
Panicle initiation
Booting
Heading and
Flowering.
During theses stages, the irrigation interval should not exceed the stipulated
time so as to cause the depletion of moisture below the saturation level.
Continuous land submergence for rice is, usually, practiced due to the
associated major advantages of increase in availability of nutrients and
less weed management problems.
Shallow submergence of water up to 5 cm depth throughout the crop
period is optimum for high yield.
Depth of submergence
Stages of crop growth (cm)
At transplanting 2
After transplanting for 3 days 5
Three days after transplanting upto maximum 2
tillering
At maximum tillering (in fertile fields only) Drain water for three
days
Maximum tillering to panicle initiation 2
Panicle initiation to 21 days after flowering 5
Twenty one days after flowering Withhold irrigation
Intermittent Submergence
Standing water in lowland rice minimize the irrigation needs leading to high
water use efficiency compared with continuous flowing irrigation water from
field to field.
Flowing water from field to field increases grain yield of rice by preventing
accumulation of harmful salts in the soil.
However, nitrogen losses will be higher with continuous flowing irrigation
water. Flowing irrigation water is ideal for problem soils.
Rotational Irrigation
The principal losses of water from lowland rice fields can be grouped into two:
vapour losses and losses in liquid form.
Vapour losses are through transpiration from leaf surface and evaporation
at water surface collectively referred to as evapotranspiration.
The two types of liquid losses are deep percolation plus seepage and
runoff of excess water over the field levees
Evapotranspiration :
Evaporation is highest at early growth stages, when the leaf area index
(LAI) is small and accounts for most of the evapotranspiration (ET) losses.
In most of the tropics, the ET requirements during wet season, on an
average, is 4-5 mm day -1. During the dry season, it is 8-10 mm day-1.
Surface runoff
Water Stress
Moisture stress means the action of excess or deficit of water on plants. However,
moisture stress is generally used to imply water deficits.
Water deficit occur in the plant whenever transpiration exceeds uptake. The effect
of water deficits on growth and yield of rice depend on the stage of crop growth at
which the water deficits occur.
Reproductive stage
Maturity stage
This stage (milk to grain maturity) is least sensitive to soil moisture stress.
After yellowish ripening stage, there is no necessity for standing water.
Water may be drained from the field about 7-10 days before harvest to
facilitate harvesting.
Water stress management