Abstract Enabling crop flowering within an optimal calendar window minimises long-term risk of abiotic stress exposure, improving prospects for attaining potential yield. Here, we define the period (OFP) as time in which frost, water and heat are collectively minimised. Using internationally-renowned farming systems model Agricultural Systems Production sIMulator, characterised combined effects...

Mid rift valley of east Shewa, Ethiopia is among the potential commercial irrigated intensive vegetable production areas [1] supplying a variety of vegetables to every corners of the country. Onion, tomato, maize, kale, hot pepper, watermelon, green bean and head cabbage are among the major vegetable crops widely produced for national and local markets. Okra, cucurbit and sweet melon are also c...

Regional analysis of water use efficiency (WUE) is a relevant method for diagnosing the performance of irrigation systems in water-limited environments. In this study, we investigated the potential of FORMOSAT-2 images to provide spatial estimates of WUE over irrigated wheat crops cultivated within the semi-arid Yaqui Valley, in the northwest of Mexico. FORMOSAT-2 provided us with a unique data...

Thermal infrared (TIR) imagery is normally acquired at coarser pixel resolution than that of shortwave sensors on the same satellite platform and often the TIR resolution is not suitable for monitoring crop conditions of individual fields or the impacts of land cover changes that are at significantly finer spatial scales. Consequently, thermal sharpening techniques have been developed to sharpe...

This paper presents a genetic algorithm GA model for obtaining an optimal operating policy and optimal crop water allocations from an irrigation reservoir. The objective is to maximize the sum of the relative yields from all crops in the irrigated area. The model takes into account reservoir inflow, rainfall on the irrigated area, intraseasonal competition for water among multiple crops, the so...

An assessment of the potential impact of climate change and the concurrent increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration on eastern Washington State agriculture was conducted. Climate projections from four selected general circulation models (GCM) were chosen to evaluate impacts for the periods 20102039, 2030-2059 and 2070-2099, identified as 2020, 2040, and 2080 scenarios, respect...

Experiments were conducted to determine methane emission from a rainfed lowland rice field (water depth about 3–30 cm) and an irrigated shallow rice field (4–6 cm), both planted to the same cultivar, cv. ‘Gayatri,’ as influenced by fertilizer management practices. Methane emission peaked from 100 to 125 days after transplanting followed by a decline in rainfed lowland field plots. Application o...

in the vast rainfed regions, diminishing returns from the public irrigation systems, climate change induced chaotic fluctuations in the hydrologic regimes and a large demand-supply gap in non-cereal food items are all compelling reasons for the need to realise the production potential of rainfed farming areas. Little control over the rainfall and absence of suitable mechanisms for storing or co...