Assessment of crop coefficient variations with leaf area index for cotton

The experiment was carried out to access the corelation between crop coefficient and leaf area index of cotton crop at Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola. The meteorological data were obtained from the automatic weather station installed at the site. The crop coefficient values and leaf area index for cotton were monitored at 30 days interval. The results showed that the crop coefficient values increased steadily from 0.59 at 30 DAS when the LAI was at its lowest about 0.06, to a peak of 1.16 at 120 DAS matching the highest LAI of 1.02. There was a strong correlation found between Kc and LAI, with an R-squared value of 0.89, highlighting that as the cotton leaf area expands, the crop’s water needs rise accordingly. The results highlights the importance of stage-specific Kc and LAI values for accurate irrigation scheduling and for improving water use efficiency in cotton cultivation.