Mobile ‘app’ for Precise Irrigation Scheduling in Sugarcane Cultivation under Indian Subtropics

Abstract

Efficient and economical scheduling of surface irrigation is pivotal to attain high water productivity in sugarcane cultivation in view of forbiddingly high installation cost of micro-irrigation systems and small farm size in subtropical India. Irrigation scheduling as per the water requirement of the crop, weather conditions and depth of irrigation has been widely accepted as an efficient method of water management in different crops including sugarcane. However, availability of daily evaporation data for a region and fitting this into relevant equations are challenging for an average farmer. Use of ICT tools comes handy to perform such functions on a mobile phone via specific applications. Considering this ‘Ikshu Kedar’ a mobile app based on irrigation water depth/cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio recommended for sugarcane has been developed that takes into account the depth of water application and pan evaporation data to suggest the next date of irrigation in sugarcane crop. The app uses an algorithm wherein based on planting date and stage of the crop, different IW/CPE ratios are considered to work out the irrigation interval. A database for daily average pan evaporation for subtropical region of the country is linked with the algorithm for working out irrigation schedule. The app also provides instructions about the applicability of information under different soil and climatic conditions to the sugarcane growers in Hindi language. Once downloaded and installed, it does not require any Internet connectivity while in use. With the fast increasing mobile density in India and availability of affordable smart phones, the ‘app’ is to efficiently rationalize water management in sugarcane crop. The ‘app’ is useful for sugarcane farmers, researchers, sugar mill workers and sugarcane development personnel of different subtropical states.