Estimation of water consumption of lowland rice in tropical area based on heterogeneous cropping calendar using remote sensing technology

Irrigated agricultural sector meets challenge in using water efficiently and effectively while improving food acquisition. One of the strategies to increase food production dealing with water scarcity is by increasing crop water productivity. Spatial data of crop water productivity parameters on large area is needed to support better water resources management. Remote sensing provides viable means to meet requirement of improved regional-scale data set of crop water productivity, such as crop water consumption (evapotranspiration) and crop yield. A methodology is developed to quantify spatial variation of seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) of lowland rice in paddy field with heterogeneous cropping calendar using satellite data. The methodology is developed by synthesizing SEBAL (Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land) method and lowland rice phenology detection method. Study area is located in the northern part of West Java Province, known as Pantura Jawa Barat region. The developed method is able to describe spatial variability of lowland rice evapotranspiration in Pantura Jawa Barat region for the growing period of dry season year 2004. The average seasonal actual evapotranspiration of rice is found to be 274.5 mm/season with standard deviation +/- 44.7 mm/season. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.