Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141 004, Punjab, India.
*Corresponding author's e-mail: harmanjot.khaira@mail.mcgill.ca
Online published on 9 October, 2017.
Punjab, the major riparian State, has a limited share in its three perennial rivers (Sutlej, Ravi and Beas). A systematic planning of groundwater exploitation using modern technologies needs to be adopted for the proper utilization and management of groundwater resource. The present study was aimed to estimate the blockwise crop evapotranspiration (ET) during kharif and rabi season in Central Punjab and to develop a GIS based maps of crop evapotranspiration. The results revealed that the blocks namely Makhu and Zira of Ferozepur district had the maximum (747 mm) crop water demand whereas block Fatehgarh Churian of Gurdaspur district had the least (445 mm) crop water demand. The outcome of the study revealed that crop water demand varies from 450 mm to 750 mm in kharif and rabi season in Central Punjab. The ET maps derived in the study were useful in determining areas with highest water demands.
Crop evapotranspiration, GIS, Papadakis equation
