Consumptive Use and Estimation of Irrigation Water Requirement

1. Definition

- Consumptive use (CU) is the amount of water used in transpiration, building of plant
tissue, together with evaporation from the adjacent soil, water and plant surfaces
during a specific time period.
- Evapotranspiration(ET) = Evaporation + Transpiration
- Transpiration is the process by which water vapor escapes from living plants,
principally the leaves, and enters the atmosphere. Evaporation is the water
evaporating from adjacent soil, water surfaces or from the surfaces of leaves of the
plant
- CU = ET + water used in building plant tissue
- Since the water used in building plant tissue is insignificant, CU = ET

2. Factors affecting ET
- Climatic factors: Solar radiation, temperature, humidity, wind speed, duration of light
- Soil factors: Texture, structure, hydraulic conductivity, moisture content
- Plant factors: Root characteristics, leaf characteristics, aerodynamic roughness

3. Direct Measurement of ET

a) Tanks or lysimeters
- A lysimeter is a device by which an experimental soil located in a container is
separated hydrologically from the surrounding soil
- Tanks filled with soil in which crops are grown under natural conditions.
- Involves measurement of incoming and outgoing water of the container
- Artificial conditions are caused by soil, size of tank, regulation of water supply and
environment.

Three types of lysimeter:

i) Non-weighing constant water table type

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- Constant water level is maintained by daily irrigation (I)
I + R – ET = 0
ET = I + R
- Rainfall (R) and irrigation (I) are measured by rain gauges and calibrated container.
- Applicable where high water table exists

ii) Non-weighing percolation type

I +R-ET-Dr = ∆SW
ET=I + R- Dr -∆ S W

- ∆ S W is determined by soil sampling or neutron probes. In most cases water budget is

determined over a period between two drainage occurrences so that ∆ S W =0
ET = I + R -Dr

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- Special arrangements are made to drain and measure the water percolating through
the soil mass.
- Applicable for areas having high precipitation.

iii) Weighing type

- ET is determined by taking the weight of the tank and making adjustment for any
rain.
- Suitable for short time period.

I + R- RO- Dr – ET = ∆SW
Here Re = R - RO
ET = I + Re - Dr - ∆SW
If applied between irrigations
ET = Re – Dr - ∆SW
Assuming Dr to be zero
ET = Re - ∆SW
∆SW is measured by soil sampling
- First sampling 2 to 4 days after irrigation and second sampling 7 to 15 days after or
just before the next irrigation
- Only those sampling periods are considered in which rainfall is light.
- Cannot be applied where water table is high

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4. Estimation of ET using Empirical equations

(a) Blaney - Criddle equation

kp
C u= ⌊ 1.8 t+32 ⌋
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Cu = monthly consumptive use, cm
k = crop factor
t = mean temperature, 0C
p = percentage of day-time hours of the year occurring during the period
p
For a season, C u=k ∑ f , where f = [ 1.8 t +32 ]
40
- Extensively used; gives good estimates under arid conditions.
- Not suitable for period shorter than 1 month
- k values based on seasonal determination is too low for shorter period

(b) Hargreaves Class A pan evaporation method

C u=k Ep

Cu = consumptive use, cm
k = consumptive use coefficient (depends on type of crop, growth stage, and place).
Average values as recommended by Hargreaves is given in Table 2.9, Garg
Ep = evaporation measured by Class A pan, cm

(c) FAO Penman-Monteith equation

900
0.408 ∆ ( Rn−G )+ γ u ( e −e )
T +273 2 s a
ET 0=
∆+ γ ( 1+0.34 u2 )

ET0 = reference crop evapotranspiration, mm day-1

Rn = net radiation, MJm-2. day-1
G = soil heat flux, MJm-2 day-1
T = mean air temperature, 0C
u2 = wind speed at 2m height, ms-1
es = saturation vapour pressure, kPa
ea = actual vapour pressure, kPa
∆ = slope of saturation vapour pressure-temperature curve at mean temperature, kPa / 0C
γ = psychrometric constant, kPa / 0C

- Reference crop is a hypothetical crop with an assumed crop height of 0.12 m, a fixed
surface resistance of 70 sm-1 and an albedo of 0.23

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 For monthly value, G = 0.14 (Ti – Ti-1)
Ti = mean air temperature for the month, i (C0)
Ti-1 = mean air temperature for the previous month, i-1 (C0)
(T ¿¿ min)
e s=e0 ( T max ) + e0 ¿
2

e0(T) = 0.611 exp [ ]

17.27 T
T +237.3
, kPa

RH mean
e a= es
100

FAO developed computer software called CROPWAT

Input data: Latitude and longitude of the area, maximum and minimum temperature, mean
relative humidity, daily sunshine hours and wind speed

A sample output is shown in the following table.

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 ET of a specific crop, ETc = ET0. kc
kc = crop coefficient
The crop coefficient is basically the ratio of the crop ET to reference ET and represents the
integrated effects of 4 primary characteristics: (crop height, albedo, canopy resistance and
ground cover)

The kc value of a crop varies with growth stages

5. Effective Rainfall

- Effective rainfall is that part of rainfall which is available to meet ET needs of the crop
Re = R- DPR - SROR
R = total rainfall
DPR = deep percolation from rainfall
SROR = surface runoff from rainfall

Factors affecting Re:

- Rainfall characteristics (intensity, frequency and amount)
- Land slope
- Soil characteristics (depth, texture, structure)
- Groundwater level
- Land management (bunding, terracing)
- Crop characteristics (ET rate, root depth, ground cover, stage of growth)
- Carry-over soil moisture

Generally, a percentage of total rainfall is taken as effective rainfall

6. Net irrigation requirement (NIR)

The net irrigation requirement of the crop is determined as

NIR = ETc– Re – Gc - ∆SW
Where
ETc = crop evapotranspiration
Re = effective rainfall
Gc = groundwater contribution
∆SW = stored soil-moisture

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 In irrigation planning and design, Gc and ∆SW are ignored
NIR = ETc – Re
For wetland rice, NIR = Etc + PL – Re
PL = percolation loss

7. Field irrigation requirement (FIR)

Amount of water required to be applied to the field

FIR = NIR + Water application loss (deep percolation and surface runoff)
NIR
FIR=
Ea
Ea = Water-application efficiency

8. Gross Irrigation requirement (GIR)

Amount of water required at the head of a canal

GIR = FIR + conveyance losses
FIR
GIR ¿
Ec
Ec = conveyance efficiency

9. Irrigation Efficiencies

a) Conveyance efficiency (Ec)

Wf
Ec = × 100
Wr
Wf = water delivered to the field
Wr = water diverted from the river or reservoir

b) Water-application efficiency (Ea)

Ws
E a= ×100
Wf
Ws = water stored in the soil root zone during the irrigation
Wf = water delivered to the field
W f = W s + Rf + D f
Rf = surface runoff from the field
Df = deep percolation below the field root-zone soil

c) Water-storage efficiency (Es)

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- The concept of Ea fails to evaluate the irrigation practice when inadequate irrigation
occurs.
Ws
E s= ×100
Wn
Ws = water stored in the soil root zone during the irrigation
Wn = water needed in the root zone prior to the irrigation

d) Water-distribution efficiency (Ed)

y
Ed = 100(1- )
d
y = average numerical deviation in depth of water stored from average depth stored during
irrigation.
d = average depth of water stored during the irrigation.

Ea, Es and Ed of nearly 100% are not always desirable:

- Economic consideration (cost of achieving high efficiency often overweighs the

benefit obtained)
- Leaching requirement (necessary to wash out salts from the root zone)
- Maximum net benefit is often obtained by filling the root zone only every 2nd, 3rd or
4th irrigation due to non-uniform extraction of water by roots
- Change in depth of application of water promotes bacterial growth