Crop Water Requirement of Major Crops of Srinagar, Kashmir (J&K)

Precise estimation of crop water requirement is essential for efficient water management of crops. Reference evapotranspiration plays a vital role in determining the water requirements of crops as well as planning of irrigation. The present study has been undertaken to determine the water requirement of major crops cultivated in the Srinagar District of Kashmir Valley on the basis of reference evapotranspiration and pan evaporation measurements. The crops used for the study are paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Reference evapotranspiration was estimated by Penmen-Monteith method using standard meteorological data for a period of four years (2012-2015). The results showed that the total water requirement is maximum for paddy crop being 573.8 mm by Penmen-Monteith method and 721.4 mm by pan evaporation method. Wheat crop requires minimum water being 343 mm by Penmen-Monteith method and 134.3 mm by pan evaporation method. The water requirement for maize and pulses was in between paddy and wheat being 485.7 mm and 644.1 mm for maize by Penmen-Monteith method and pan evaporation method respectively. For pulses the water requirement was 370 mm by Penmen-Monteith method and 510.8 mm by pan evaporation method.