New approaches to enhance the water productivity in horticultural crops with special reference to Tamil Nadu

Water being a critical resource that is gradually diminishing, the need to increase Water Use Efficiency (WUE) becomes progressively more crucial. Limited success has been obtained so far through genetic approaches to modify complex traits such as transpiration efficiency. This is partly due to our limited understanding of the molecular basis and physiological mechanisms regulating WUE in stressed and non-stressed plants. There are various irrigation techniques to enhance the efficiency of the applied water to the crop. Improving irrigation techniques can directly affect WUE by increasing the yield per unit of water applied and reducing the amount of water loss. Major improvements could be obtained through management and innovative design of integrated water delivery and application schemes. Innovative decision support systems integrated by sensor networks to monitor soil and plant water status will help farmers to efficiently allocate limited water resources.