Mapping of intra-season dynamics in the cropping pattern using remote sensing for irrigation management

Abstract

Understanding the variation in the cropping pattern throughout the irrigation season provides opportunities for a realistic estimation of irrigation requirements. This study attempts to identify the variation of cropping patterns in an irrigation system by the synergistic use of optical and microwave datasets acquired throughout the season. The study had shown that the cropping pattern in an irrigation system is not static throughout the season. The percentage area of wet and dry crops within the system varied through the Kharif and Rabi seasons. Conventional practice in irrigation decision making overlooks this intra-season variation in the cropping pattern by assuming a notional cropping pattern for the entire season. This study gives a clear difference of 15–20% decrease in irrigation water requirement if intra-season cropping pattern is considered instead of a single cropping pattern generated at the end of the season.

Keywords:

• Irrigation demand
• microwave data
• classification
• image segmentation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.