Association of Agrometeorologists

Estimation of crop evapotranspiration and crop coefficients of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under low land condition

KISHOR MOTE, V.PRAVEEN RAO, K. AVIL KUMAR and V. RAMULU

An attempt has been made to estimate the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and Kc under alternate wetting and drying method (AWD) of water management of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under lowland condition during 2013 and 2014 at Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The average seasonal ETc was highest in continuous submergence (Cs) of 3-cm depth from transplanting to panicle initiation (PI) and 5-cm from PI to physiological maturity (PM) (657.8 mm) followed by AWD irrigation regimes of flooding to a water depth of 5-cm between15 DAT to PM and when ponded water level drops to 5-cm below ground level in field water tube (628 mm). The results suggested that the roots of rice were able to extract adequate amount of water to satisfy its ETc needs for 2-7 days in different treatments of AWD. The mean crop coefficient values worked out were 1.35, 1.59, 1.81 and 1.33 at initial establishment stage, vegetative and panicle initiation stage, at panicle development stage and at ripening and maturity stage.

Alternate wetting and drying, continuous flooding, crop coefficient, evapotranspiration, Field water tube, lowland rice