GIS-Based Irrigation Water Management for Precision Farming of Rice

This article presents the GIS capability to explore the view of irrigation strategy with special reference to precision farming of rice. The GIS-based water management model was developed for the scheduling daily irrigation water deliveries and regular monitoring of irrigation delivery performance. The “Scheduling”program computes the right amount of irrigation deliveries based on crop water requirements. The “Monitoring”program gives information on the uniformity of water distribution and the shortfall or excess. The displayed results allow the manager to view maps, tables and graphs in a comprehensible form to ease decision making that where the irrigation amount will be delivered as the season progresses. GIS was used as a useful tool to assist the irrigation water management program in the context of precision farming.

Different methods were used to calculate this data: Water balance model in a rice basin, Cumulative Rainfall Water Supply and Ponding Water Index. Together, these factors determined a system that workd for rice irrigation.

The information from all interacting sources is essential to assess crop water status and to efficiently irrigate rice crop as well as for improving water management. GIS user-interface technique linked with water management model can greatly assist to improve water management based on feedback of field information. The study can assist irrigation managers to improve the decision-making process in the operation and management of the irrigation system and can improve the management of water allocation systems, monitoring water distribution system in existing schemes. This study has indicated that improvements in irrigation system management based on feedback of field information can satisfy the role of the precision farming.

Kamal, R. M. (2010). GIS-based irrigation water management for precision farming of rice. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 3(3), 27-35.