Publisher's Synopsis
Crop water management research (CWMR) is considered essential for the improvement of the operation of existing surface irrigation schemes in India, and to provide improved design criteria for new ones.;Phases in CWMR begin with analysis of the physical resources situation (soil drainage, rainfall variation, water availability) and identification of farming situations and farmers' responses in following certain cropping patterns. Results from on-station irrigation experiements are, most of the time, not applicable under the physical and operational constraints found in actual schemes. They need to be tested under farmers' conditions, represented by variations in soil and subsoil characteristics, uncertainties about canal flows and durations and limited economic resources. Research methodology needs to be adapted to the greater number of variables encountered in farmers' fields compared to classic on-station experiments.;The recommended operational research approach, consisting of construction and use of statistical and dynamic simulation models, should provide location-specific technology recommendation to farmers, as well as a strategy for better utilization of resources such as land, water, farm inputs and farm labour.
