Water scheduling for better yield in paddy cultivation : A study from Mahaweli system 'H' of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Agricultural production has given the highest priority in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka and has become the main livelihood of people living in the area. It has been found that almost all the cultivation in the area totally depends on the irrigation water and hence proper management of irrigation water is needed in order to achieve increased crop production. The aim of this study is to analyze the present water management issues of the Distributory canal D1 at Block 406 in Mahaweli system H and come out with possible improvements to the existing system in order to optimize the water usage in achieving better paddy yield. A questionnaire survey was carried out among the farmers in the Block in order to collect information about the present water issue system. Hence the strengths and weaknesses of the existing water management system were identified. By the survey it was found that the present rotational water issue system does not concern very much on sensitivity of paddy to water stress, resulting low yield. Since paddy has some sensitivity to water stress, all the possible efforts should be put in order to avoid a water deficit during the entire season. Considering the varieties of paddy grown and their sensitivity to water shortage at different plant growth stages, an improved water management for paddy cultivation is presented in this study for the Block 406.