Research Article
Application ofin SituThermal Imaging to Estimate Crop Water Stress and Crop Water Requirements for Wheat in Koga Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-030-93712-6_10, author={Tewodrose D. Meselaw and Fasikaw A. Zimale and Seifu A. Tilahun and Petra Schmitter}, title={Application ofin SituThermal Imaging to Estimate Crop Water Stress and Crop Water Requirements for Wheat in Koga Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia}, proceedings={Advances of Science and Technology. 9th EAI International Conference, ICAST 2021, Hybrid Event, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, August 27--29, 2021, Proceedings, Part II}, proceedings_a={ICAST PART 2}, year={2022}, month={1}, keywords={Crop water stress index Gross irrigation water requirements Irrigation water productivity Thermography}, doi={10.1007/978-3-030-93712-6_10} }- Tewodrose D. Meselaw
Fasikaw A. Zimale
Seifu A. Tilahun
Petra Schmitter
Year: 2022
Application ofin SituThermal Imaging to Estimate Crop Water Stress and Crop Water Requirements for Wheat in Koga Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia
ICAST PART 2
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-93712-6_10
Abstract
Enhancing performance of irrigation schemes requires an improvement in the timing and amount of irrigation application from head to tail of irrigation infrastructures. This can be achieved using non-invasive techniques using thermal imaging to assess soil moisture regimes and plant water status. An infrared thermometry with hand held thermal camera attached to a tablet was used to measure the temperature of wheat canopy under three irrigation treatments in Koga irrigation scheme: wetting front detector (WFD), chameleon and control reflecting farmers’ practices. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in two irrigation blocks (Adibera and Chihona) with three treatments and three replications. The temperature of the canopy was measured before and after irrigation. The calculated Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) using canopy temperature was significantly different in the WFD treatment during the development stage given the larger irrigation intervals observed (p > 0.05). Overall, both irrigation technologies show potential in improving water management close to the overall estimated gross irrigation requirement with some further improvement in the mid development stage. The study showed the potential of using thermal imaging to not only identify CWSI and assess the effect of agronomic field trials using in-situ thermal camera’s but also the potential of using canopy temperatures in estimating actual ET and therefore gross irrigation requirements. This would provide a new opportunity for agricultural extension agents to advice smallholder farmers in irrigation schemes and beyond on when and how much to apply without the need for WFD or chameleon sensors. Further research is needed to calibrate and validate the irrigation predictions based on different soil and crop types.
