Satellite-Based Spatiotemporal Variability and Mapping the Irrigation Water Requirements of Wheat Crop in Ludhiana District, Punjab
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53550/Keywords:
Evapotranspiration, Irrigation water requirement, Mapping, WheatAbstract
This study evaluated the spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation water requirement (IWR) for wheat in the Ludhiana district, Punjab, using satellite data and statistical modeling. MODIS-derived ET and WorldClim rainfall data were processed in QGIS using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method for spatial interpolation. Sentinel-2A multispectral imagery was used to generate wheat crop masks. Pearson correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between ET, temperature, and wind speed, and a significant negative correlation with relative humidity, while rainfall showed no significant association. A two-way ANOVA indicated significant effects of both month and block (spatial) on ET, with the highest values observed in February. The interaction between block and month emphasized the role of localized climatic and soil conditions. IWR was calculated using rainfall and ET data, with peak irrigation demand during February and March, coinciding with critical growth stages of wheat. The developed ET and IWR maps serve as valuable tools for location-specific irrigation scheduling. Findings support groundwater conservation efforts by promoting efficient water use and provide a framework to work with the realtime weather data and auxiliary spatial layers to enhance precision irrigation.
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