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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Rice is the world's most consumed cereal grain, making up the dietary staple food of more than 60 percent of the world's population. For agriculture dominated country like India, the assessment of rice yield is of utmost importance for policy makers in managing the food security and water resources. The present study evaluates the efficiency of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate rice yield during both kharif and rabi seasons in Brahmani River basin, and subsequently, identifies the appropriate evapotranspiration estimation approach for accurate quantification of crop water requirement, and irrigation scheduling. The outcomes of this study revealed that the two crop-specific model parameters, i.e., maximum leaf area index and radiation use efficiency affect the rice yield to greater extent. The SWAT simulates the rice yield better in the kharif season with NSE estimates of 0.81 and 0.79 during the calibration and validation period, respectively as compared to the rabi season. The crop growth dynamics is better conceptualized by the physically based FAO-56 PM approach than the Priestley and Taylor method in the study area. The outcomes of the study could be useful for the hydrologist and agronomist in developing decision support system for irrigation water management and crop yield assessment.