Determination of field water balance of paddy using drum culture technique

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2021-22 and 2022-23 to find the various factors like evaporation, evapotranspiration and deep percolation that are used to evaluate field water balance in paddy field at Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. Drum culture technique was used to find the above factors. The results revealed that during the first season i.e., during rabi, 2021-22 out of total water received by the crop (irrigation and rainfall), only 32 per cent is utilized by the crop. The remaining 68 percent of water was lost through percolation and evapotranspiration losses. In the second season i.e., during rabi, 2022-23 out of total water received 65 per cent water lost through the above losses and only 35 per cent of water was utilized by the crop. A positive water balance indicates surplus water was observed during both the years of study.