LAUSR

ABSTRACT Water shortage is the prominent limiting factor for agricultural sector in developing countries. The efficient water use is required which helps to obtain effective irrigation schedule for various crops. The present study aims at establishing optimized irrigation schedule for potato, which is a major cash crop in Northern India. Study is conducted in open field plot of Agricultural Experimental Station at National Institute of Technology Hamirpur (India) for Potato during 2013–2016. Irrigation scheduling models based on root water uptake and growing degree days concept are used to workout irrigation schedule for potato in the study. Comparison of field observed and modelled values of percentage moisture depletion in different depths and soil moisture variation at various depths is performed to evaluate the models efficacy in estimating soil moisture extraction by the potato crop for the crop period and replications during study period. Root uptake-based model is found to have better agreement with observed values. The irrigation schedule developed helps in optimal use of irrigation water in water scarce areas.