AGRICULTURAL DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS
Geospatial planning tool to target surface water crop intensification
The geospatial tool for targeting surface water irrigation for crop intensification is a a practical, and easy to use decision support interface allows users to explore, query, and download maps, data, and graphical analyses regarding the potential to use surface water resources to sustainably intensify land in southern Bangladesh. By integrating satellite analysis of crop cover, soil and water salinity in canals and rivers, and by examining the duration of the presence of water availability into the dry season. The tool can be used to target and plan where to place small-scale irrigation schemes, and to decide where irrigation can be most efficiently developed using surface water resources in Southern Bangladesh.
Reference: Krupnik, T.J., Schulthess, U., Ahmed, Z.U., McDonald, A.J. 2017. Sustainable crop intensification through surface water irrigation in Bangladesh? A geospatial assessment of landscape-scale production potential. Land Use Policy. 60: 206–222. Available online: Click here. |
PANI: An application for dynamic irrigation scheduling
PANI is a simulation model that has been integrated into a smart phone app called PANI (Program for Advanced Numerical Irrigation). PANI runs on a daily time step and uses forecasted weather data to predict irrigation needs one week in advance. We calibrated the Blainy-Criddle Equation so that only forecasted daily maximum and minimum temperatures are required. PANI addresses the needs of irrigation service provider and farmers. Both receive a SMS on a weekly basis, informing them as to whether a field needs to be irrigated or not. Since the water balance of PANI is based on the widely used CERES model, it can be used under most conditions, as long as weather and ground cover data are available.
Reference: Schulthess, U., Ahmed, Z.U., Krupnik, T.J., Rodrigues, F., Oritz Monasterio, I., McDonald, A.J., Gérard, B., Maas, S., Ritchie, J.T., Hasan, A. 2016. PANI: An application for dynamic irrigation scheduling (Beta version). Details available online: Click here and here |
Maize crop manager for Bangladesh
Maize Crop Manager (MCM) for Bangladesh is a computer-based decision support system that provides farmers with advice on crop and nutrient management for specific fields. The input data for MCM comes a database of macro-nutrient omission and sufficiency plot trial results estimating indigenous nutrient supplying capacity across Bangladesh between 2012 and 2014. The algorithms within MCM also estimate crop attainable yield, and adjust recommendations for nutrient application rate and timing as a function of geographic position and field-specific crop and residue management histories.
Reference: Buresh, R., Costello, W., Gathala, M.K., McDonald, A.J., Krupnik, T.J. 2014. Maize crop manager for Bangladesh, Version 10. Nutrient and crop management decision support system for maize grown in Bangladesh, collaboratively developed with IRRI. Beta-version: Click here. |