G.B.
PANT UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
AND TECHNOLOGY, PANTNAGAR
ACADEMIC
YEAR: 2023
DEPARTMENT: M.Sc. (Ag.) AGRONOMY
WATER MANAGEMENT IN WHEAT
PRINCIPLE AND PRACTICES OF WATER MANAGEMENT
(APA – 604N)
SUBMITTED BY:
SUBMTTED TO:
AKHILESH JUYAL
DR. GURVINDER SINGH
ID: 53033
DEPT. OF AGRONOMY
Water management in wheat
• Wheat season commences after withdrawal of monsoon either as
rainfed crop on stored soil moisture or as irrigated crop.
• It requires about 400-600 mm water
• 1 hectare of wheat requires about 10,000-15,000 tonnes of water
There are different approaches to irrigate the field.
Scheduling irrigation
Irrigation scheduling means applying water in right/optimum amount at right time
through right method.
Irrigation for wheat can be scheduled mainly by 3 approaches-
• Soil moisture depletion approach – In this approach , first we have to
know , what is available moisture in soil.
• When irrigation water is not a limiting factor, scheduling irrigation at
25% DASM in the case of light soils and at 40% DASM in the case of
heavy soils could be ideal for high yield.
• Under the condition of limited irrigation water availability, scheduling
irrigation at 40 and 60% DASM could be adopted for the crops on
light and heavy soils respectively.
• The other alternative is to irrigate the crop around 50% DASM at CRI
and at 75% DASM during other critical stages.
• Climatological approach – In climatological approach, we consider the
weather data, which affect the crop ET. So that the amount of ET lost can
be given through irrigation.
• When CPE reaches at pre determined level, then irrigation is given. It is
known as IW/CPE ratio.
• IW/CPE for wheat cultivation is 0.9-1 with 6cm depth (but this varies from
place to place, soil to soil, but in general it is 0.9-1)
When this approach is followed
• It is followed after CRI stage. ( crop is established, then first irrigation
is given at CRI , then this approach is followed).
• Under situation of acute water shortage, IW/CPE ratio of 0.6
requiring 3 irrigation at critical stages (CRI,boot&milk) appears to be
the minimum requirement for reasonable yield.
3) Critical stage approach
Crown root initiation 20-25 DAS
Late tillering 40-45 DAS
Late jointing 65-70 DAS
Flowering 90-95 DAS
Milking 105-110 DAS
Dough 120-125 DAS
Most critical stage – CRI stage
Crown Root Initiation – Term CRI was given by BL Bhardwaj.
Why CRI stage is critical? - Because at this stage
• Formation of secondary roots takes place.
• Tillering is governed at this stage. Therefore it is directly relevant to the
tiller production and finally heads which ultimately affect the grain yield.
Yellowing of older leaves is common after applying irrigation at CRI stage
is medium texture soil, because –
When water is applied water accumulates in root zone anaerobic
condition is created oxygen deficiency no respiration(which is a
source of energy) production of ATP is reduced nutrient uptake is an
active process which require energy & energy is limited so no nutrient
uptake, especially nitrogen so younger leaves take nitrogen from older
leaves yellowing of older leaves takes place..
• The need and number of irrigation depends on-
a) The number of rainfall
b) Soil type
c) Weather condition
d) Variety
e) Water availability in the irrigation system and the soil
• 4-6 irrigation are required.
Number of Stages at which irrigation is applied
irrigation available
1 CRI
2 CRI , Flowering
3 CRI,Late jointing(boot),milking
4 CRI,Late tillering, Flowering, Milking
5 CRI,Late Tillering,Late Jointing,Flowering,Milking
6 CRI, Late Tillering, Late Jointing, Floweing ,Milking, Dough
Irrigation methods
In wheat , border strip method (Length:width ratio >4) is most commonly
used followed by check basin method (Length width ratio <4)
1) Border strip method –
• In this method, long and narrow plots are made for irrigation
• The wheat field is divided into number of strips. Water is applied to
the top end of the bay, which is usually constructed to facilitate free
flowing conditions at the downstream end
• The concept is to flush a large volume of water over a relatively flat
field surface in a short period of time
• This method is popular for irrigating wheat crop on large farms
where the land is graded to a definite slope and stream size available
is relatively large
• The length and width depends on the slope of the field and size of
the stream
Soil type Border length(m) Slope %
Sandy & Sandy loam 60-120 0.25-0.60
Medium loam 100-180 0.20-0.40
Clay loam & Clay 150-300 0.05-0.20
2) Check basin method – This method is generally adopted by farmers
having small holdings.
• In this method, small and rectangular plots , accessible by irrigation
channel, are made.
• This method is good provided the plot is leveled and the stream size
is low.
FIRB- Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed System
• In this method, irrigation is given in furrows & planting is done
in raised bed
• Width of bed is generally 70cm and 2-3 rows are
recommended at bed
• This method saves around 25-30% irrigation water, because
water is applied only in furrows, and not whole area is irrigated
If we are taking sprinkler method, then what precautions we have to take –
• If we use sprinkler, they should be adjusted so that the water will not cause
plant lodging
• Frequent irrigation with sprinkler system can result in rapid disease
development. So when the temperature is in favourable levels for fungal
disease dispersal, farmers should inspect their plants frequently in order to
apply disease control measures when needed.
