DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY

College of Agriculture and Food Science

Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

Name: Carisse Jade E. Angulo Course & Year: BSA – 3 Plant Breeding
Laboratory Instructor: Julie Mar J. Cayangho Laboratory Schedule: M 13:00-16:00
Course Number: AgSc 21 Offering Number: C159

CROP WATER REQUIREMENT

Laboratory Exercise No. 2

I. Introduction

For plants to grow well, they need various factors, including sunlight, nutrients, and
temperature, for sustenance. Crops require access to a specific duration of light exposure,
nutrient availability, and favorable environmental conditions to grow to their optimal state.
However, the factors mentioned above are some of the components affecting a crop's water
requirement.

Crop water requirement is the amount of water needed to meet the demands of evaporation
and transpiration throughout a crop's life. This demand is the Crop Evapotranspiration,
generally expressed in water depth (millimeter/centimeter/inch). Proper estimation of crop
water requirement promotes an appropriate irrigation system design, water assessment and
facilitates the elimination of excess water supply resulting in better irrigation water
conservation and water use efficiency (Crop Water Requirement (CWR) FAQ, n.d.).

II. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the exercise, the student should be able to:
1. Evaluate the response of crops to application of water.
III. Methodology

In this exercise, 15 pots of the same kind and size were prepared. The pots were filled with
similar kind and amount of soil medium, and three pechay seeds were sown in each pot. Similar
amount of water, enough to moisten the soil, was added. The 15 pots were then divided into
three replications and each replication was labeled following the treatments indicated below:

T0 = no watering
T1 = ¼ the full amount of water
T2 = ½ the full amount of water
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

T3 = ¾ the full amount of water

T4 = Full amount of water
The pots were placed in an open space for sufficient supply of sunlight when the seedlings
germinated. For the next watering schedule, the T4 pots were watered first, which involved the
application of measured amount of water until the soil in the pots were fully saturated with
water, as exhibited by excess water starting to come out of the bottom. Water added to the other
pots was in accordance with the treatments indicated based on the measured amount of water
applied in T4. Watering was repeated until the termination of the activity. Water application
was not done during rainy days.

As soon as the seedlings developed three fully opened leaves, two seedlings per pot were
removed by cutting the stem close to the soil surface. Cultural activities, such as fertilizer
application and weeding, were performed. After 30 days, the plants were harvested and the
data from observations, such as length and width measurement, and shoot and root weight were
recorded.

IV. Results and discussion

Based on the data depicted in table 1, plants exposed to treatments 0, 1, 2, and 3 yielded
favorably, out of the five treatments provided, both in the length and width of the leaves.
However, labeling these results as optimal growth is not acceptable considering the time given
for the execution of the experiment. This setback can be because of the soil medium provided
to the plants. The texture, drainage capacity, and availability of soil nutrients may be
contributors to the impediment.

Table 1. Leaf length (cm) and width (cm) of pechay as influenced by amount of water applied.
Leaf length (cm) Leaf width (cm)
Treatments
R1 R2 R3 Mean R1 R2 R3 Mean
T0 = no
9 5.6 3.3 6 4.7 3.6 2.1 3.5
watering
T1 = ¼ the full
amount of 4.9 6.8 6 5.9 4 3.5 3.5 3.7
water
T2 = ½ the full
amount of 5.7 5.2 7.4 6.1 2.8 3.7 4.4 3.6
water
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

T3 = ¾ the full
amount of 6.2 4.7 6.5 5.8 3.6 2.7 3.2 3.2
water
T4 = Full
amount of 4.1 3.8 2 3.3 2.9 2 1.2 2
water

Table 2 shows the data on the shoot and stem/root weight of pechay. It is safe to assume
that because of the factors mentioned above, which prevent the plants from achieving optimal
growth, the component that is greatly affected is the root system. Because of the texture of the
soil medium, being a clayey type, water retention is high, causing the draining capacity to be
slower, preventing the roots access to aeration in the soil. T0 is the only treatment showing
decent weight means for both the shoot and root system out of the five treatments provided.

Table 2. Shoot and stem/root weight (g) of pechay as influenced by amount of water applied.
Shoot weight (g) Stem/root weight (g)
Treatments
R1 R2 R3 Mean R1 R2 R3 Mean
T0 = no
4 0.004 0.002 1.3 0 0.002 0 0.002
watering
T1 = ¼ the full
amount of 0.003 0.005 0.005 0.004 0.001 0 0 0.001
water
T2 = ½ the full
amount of 0.004 0.003 0.005 0.004 0 0.002 0.001 0.0015
water
T3 = ¾ the full
amount of 0.003 0.002 0.004 0.003 0.002 0 0.001 0.0015
water
T4 = Full
amount of 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.001 0 0 0 0
water
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

EXPERIMENT GALLERY
Pot and Seed Preparation

Image 1. Pot preparation Image 2. Pots filled with soil

Image 3. Sowing of pechay seeds

EXPERIMENTATION
WEEK 1

Image 4. Irrigation system Image 5. T0 to T1 pots

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

Image 6. T1 to T3 pots Image 7. T3 to T4 pots

WEEK 2

Image 8. T0 to T1 pots Image 9. T1 to T3 pots

Image 10. T3 to T4 pots

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

WEEK 3

Image 11. T0 to T1 pots Image 12. T1 to T3 pots

Image 13. T3 to T4 pots

WEEK 4

Image 14. T0 to T1 pots Image 15. T1 to T3 pots

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

Image 16. T3 to T4 pots

DATA COLLECTION

Image 17. Measuring of leaf length Image 18. Measuring of leaf width

Image 19. Weighing of shoot system Image 20. Weighing of root system
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
College of Agriculture and Food Science
Visayas State University
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte
www.vsu.edu.ph

V. Conclusion

Insufficient or excessive water amount provided to plants can cause unsuitable growth,
such as stunting, wilting of the leaves, or even death. The plants require a particular amount of
water to meet their water requirement. However, consideration of other factors is also a priority
to allow the plants to attain optimal growth. These factors include the type of soil medium, its
ability to retain and drain water, availability of nutrients, and access to sunlight.

VI. Answers to Questions

1. What have you learned from this activity? Can you rely on the rain to supply the
water needs of crops?
- I learned that water is an essential factor contributing to a plant's growth. However,
exposure of plants to insufficiency or excessive water access may not result in
optimal growth. Yes, because crops can acquire an equal amount of water, and no
because rainfall events vary from location to location.

VII. References
Crop Water Requirement (CWR) FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Water Academy:
https://nwa.mah.nic.in/sdmc/faq/cwr.htm