Crop Water Requirement - Factors

Affecting Crop Water

Requirement- Critical Stages for
Irrigation - Water Requirement for
Different Field Crops.
Water Requirement and Irrigation Requirement
Water Requirement of Crop:
• Water is needed to meet the demands of E, T and
metabolic needs of the plants, all together is known as
consumptive use (CU).
• Since water used in the metabolic activities is negligible, =
(E) and (T)
• WR includes losses during the application to field
(percolation, seepage, and run off) and water required for
special operation such as land preparation, transplanting,
leaching etc.

WR = CU + application losses + water needed for

special operations.
 Irrigation requirement:

• Total quantity of water applied to the field in

supplement to the water supplied through rainfall
and soil profile to meet the water needs of crops for
optimum growth.
IR = WR – (ER + S)
Net irrigation requirement:
• NIR - Difference between the FC and soil moisture
content in the root zone before application of
irrigation water.

Gross irrigation requirement:

• Net irrigation requirement + application and other
losses.
 Factors Affecting Crop Water Requirement
1. Crop Factors
• WR varies due to varieties, duration, rooting pattern
and canopy structure.
• Longer duration requires more water
• Varies with stage of crop growth. WR is maximum
during flowering and grain filling stage.

• Crop with higher LAI, more is the ET.

• ET differs with height of the crop. Tall crops intercept
more solar radiation and have more ET.
2. Soil Factors
• Evaporation is faster in coarse textured soils than
fine soils.

• Higher percentage of aggregates of more than 1.0

mm dia reduce the upward movement of water and
hence evaporation.

• Formation of ridges and furrows reduces E due to

the presence of large sized aggregates.

• Dark colored soils absorb more of solar radiation and

thus increase E.
3. Climatic Factors
• Temperature-High temperature-more ET-More WR.
• Low humidity - high ET.
• Sunshine - More sunshine - more ET and more WR.
• Rainfall during crop period - Low ET reduces WR.
• High wind – ET increases-more water

4. Crop Management factors

• Mulching reduces ET
• Weeding reduces competition for moisture and increases
irrigation interval.
• Frequent irrigation results in higher evaporation.
• Tillage practices influence rooting characteristics and thus
influence ET.
• All management practices increase the crop leaf area and
thus increase ET.
 Moisture sensitive periods
• The optimal moisture for plant growth varies with
the crop stage
• It is low in the initial stages
• Increases with advancement of crop stage and
attains peak value during reproductive stage,
• Thereafter it decreases towards ripening and
maturity phases.
• Certain stages are more sensitive to soil
moisture/stress when compared to other stages
known as moisture sensitive periods or critical
growth stages for moisture.
• Critical growth period is the stage at which moisture
stress has the greatest effect on quality & quantity
of yield.

• Any stress during these stages will irrevocably reduce

the yield and provision of adequate water and other
management practices at other growth stages will
not compensate the yield lost”.

• Moisture stress during germination and early

seedling stage may have harmful effect on field crop
emergence and plant establishment resulting in low
plant population per unit area.
• Stress during vegetative stage has little effect on
subsequent production unless it is so severe as to
drastically reduce LAI and LAD.

• Moisture stress during flowering causes flowers

drop & pollen desiccation and affects fertilization;

• During grain development leads to production of

shrivelled grains and low mean test weight.
Water requirement of various crops
Crop Water requirement (mm)

Rice 1200

Wheat 450 – 650

Sorghum 450 – 650

Maize 500 – 800

Sugarcane 1500 – 2500

Sugarbeet 550 – 750

Groundnut 500 – 700

Cotton 700 – 1300

Soybean 450 – 700

Tobacco 400 – 600

Beans 300 – 500

 Accurate crop water requirement data is
essential in irrigated agriculture for

• Economic appraisal of irrigation projects

• Design and operation of irrigation schemes

• Fixing cropping patterns and irrigated areas

• Irrigation scheduling to crops

• Efficient use of limited water

 Water Requirement of Crops and critical period
Crop WR (mm) Critical Period

Rice 1240 Panicle initiation, heading and flowering

Sorghum 450 - 650 Booting, flowering, Milky and dough stages.

Maize 500 - 800 Tasseling, silking and early grain formation.

Wheat 450 - 650 Crown root initiation, shooting and heading

Groundnut 500 - 700 Rapid flowering, Peg penetration, Pod development.

Soybean 450 - 700 Flowering, Seed formation.

Cotton 700 - 850 Flowering, boll development

Sugarcane 2500 Formative phase particularly during tilling

Tobacco 400 - 600 Entire growth period

 Irrigation requirement of some common crops
grown in India
Growing Period Total Water Requirement Daily Water Requirement
Crop
(No. of days ) in cm in cm
Jawar 114 64.25 0.575
Maize 100 44.50 0.450
Rice 93 104.50 1.075
Wheat 88 37.00 0.425
Groundnut 124 65.25 0.525
Linseed 88 31.71 0.350
Cotton 202 105.50 0.525
Sugarcane 365 237.50 0.650
Tobacco 132 98.00 0.750
Pea 88 30.00 0.350

Mustard 88 25.20 0.300

Barley 88 25.20 0.400

Oat 88 36.00 0.400

Ragi 127 74.50 0.575
 Water requirement of Rice
• Total water requirement is 1100-1250 mm
• The daily consumptive use - 6-10 mm
• 03% or 40 mm - Nursery,
• 16% or 200 mm - Land preparation
• 80.7% or 1000mm - Crop growth
a) Planting to panicle initiation – 458 mm 0r 37.0 %
b) panicle initiation to flowering - 417 mm or 33.6%
c) Flowering to maturity - 125 mm or 10 .1 %
 Water requirements of rice
Crop growth stage Water Per cent of water
Requirement requirement
(mm)
Nursery 40 3.22

Main field preparation 200 16.12

Transplanting to PI 460 37.00

Panicle initiation to flowering 417 33.66

Flowering to maturity 123 10.00

Total 1240 100.00

 Water requirement of Groundnut

• Total water requirement 500-550 mm

• Peak requirement between peg penetration and pod
development stages.
• 1st sowing irrigation
• 2nd 25 DAS
• Thereafter irrigation interval of 15 days up to peak
flowering.
 Water requirement of Finger millet
• Total water requirement: 350 mm

• Pre-planting irrigation at 7 or 8 cm is given.

• Third day life irrigation

• Water is then withheld for 10-15 days after the

establishment for healthy and vigorous growth.

• Subsequently three irrigations are essential at

primordial initiation, flowering and grain filling
stages.
 Water requirement of Sugarcane

• Total water requirement: 1800-2200 mm

• Formative phase (120 days from planting) is the

critical period for water.
 Water requirement of Maize

• Total water requirement: 500 – 600 mm

• Growth stages are sowing, four leaf stage, knee high,

grand growth, tasseling, silking early dough and late
dough stages.

• Tasseling, silking and early dough stages are critical

periods.
 Water requirement of Cotton
• Total water requirement: 550 – 600 mm

• Cotton is sensitive to soil moisture conditions.

• Water increases from 3 mm / day to 10 mm / day at

flowering and boll formation.

• Moisture during flowering and boll development is

essential.

• If water exceeds in other stages leads more

vegetative growth
 Water requirement of Sorghum
• Total water requirement: 350-500 mm

• The critical periods - booting, flowering and dough

stages.

• Irrigation immediately after sowing.

• Next irritation - 15 DAS

• Irrigation prior to heading and ten days after

heading essential.
 Water requirement of Pulses

• Total water requirement – 200-450 mm(Dry)

• Red gram, Black gram, Green gram are grown in

summer irrigated with 3 to 4 irrigation at critical
stages germination, flowering and pod formation.