ERT351 SUSTAINABLE AGROSYSTEMS

ENGINEERING
ASSIGNMENT 3

NAME : YENG XIN YI

NO. MATRIX : 131192861
NO. IC : 930913015014
LECTURER NAME :
PROF. MAHMOD NOR BIN JAAFAR
MDM FATIN AYUNI
DATE SUBMISSION : 25 APRIL 2016

Answer Question 1:
Year
Water
Productivit
y Index
(WPI)
(kg/m)
Virtual
Water Use
(VWU)
(liter/kg)

<1970
0.1

1970
0.17

1980
0.25

1990
0.36

2000
0.50

2010
0.80

2020
1.0

10000

5882.35

4000

2777.78

2000

1250

1000

Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)

= (1/0.1kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 10000 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/0.17 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 5882.35 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/0.25 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 4000 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/0.36 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 2777.78 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/0.5 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 2000 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/0.8 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 1250 liter/kg
Virtual Water Use (VWU) = (1/WPI)(1000liter/kg)
= (1/1.0 kg/ m)(1000liter/ m)
= 1000 liter/kg

Virtual Water Use (VWU) against Year

12000
10000
8000
Virtual Water Use (VWU)(liter/kg)

6000
4000
2000
0
<1970

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

Year

Graph : Virtual Water Use(VWU) against Year

Based on the graph above, the virtual water use decrease gradually from before 1970s
until the year of 2010s. This situation show that the value of water use also decrease from the
year before 1970s to 2010s. The water use is estimated will continue decrease in 2020s. This
is because before 1970s, farmers use traditional varieties and the potential yield only 3 or
lesser than 3 ton/hectare. Their crops are seasonal, slow land preparation and have to harvest
manually. They bund to impound water and only have rudimentary I&D infrastructures.
However, in1970s, farmers start to use modern varieties for double cropping. Hence, the
potential yield increase from 3 to 5.5 ton/hectare. They increase I&D infrastructures such as
MADA I ,land preparation relatively slow and less than 50 percent harvested by combine.
After 1970s, the water use become more and more efficiency, cause the yield increase
with the year.In 2010s, high yield is produced which ismore than 10 ton/hectace. Quality and
specific water regime is required for crops growing. Farmers have precise field water
management. Groups and estate farming graduated to land consolidation to increase farming
efficiency.
Answer Question 2:
Paddy field is an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown. Paddy crop is strongly
influenced by water supply. It occupies just about 30 per cent of the cultivable area but
consumes nearly 70 per cent of available water. Water should be kept standing in the field
throughout the growth period. In water scarcity areas, saturated soil in a chemical reduced
stage is desirable. The characteristics of flooded soil which are conducive to high yields are
greater availability of nutrients such as phosphorus, iron and manganese, suppression of weed
competition, elimination of moisture stress as a limiting factor and micro-climate favourable
to crop production.
The new technology that can improve water use in paddy farming is drip irrigation. It is
also called trickle irrigation. It can be defined as the precise, slow application of water in the

form od discrete or continuous or tiny streams of miniature sprays through mechanical

devices called emitters or applicators located at selected points along water delivery lines. By
integrating drip irrigation technologies within the paddy field, farmers can simultaneously
contribution to the international struggle against greenhouse gas emissions and increase their
crop yields. Is it important to use drip irrigation technologies to water the rice plants, but it is
also critical to use these methods for fertilization. This way, the plants can absorb all of the
water and nutrients they need without risking downward seepage of nitrates from fertilizers
into the groundwater and surrounding environments. Levelling of the field is not necessary
and onli root zone is saturated and moisture. Besides, soil eroision will not occur by using
drip irrigation. The cost of labour can be saved as this technology has replace labour work.

We can also use the schedule irrigation to improve the water use.
Table 1 : Scheduling of irrigation to rice
Short duration variety
Days
No. of
Water
irrigatio
level
n
(cm)
1-25
5-7
2-3
25
Thin
film of
water
28
Life
irrigatio
n
29-50
6
2-5

Medium duration variety

Days
No. of
Water
irrigatio
level
n
(cm)
1-30
5-7
2-3
30
Thin
film of
water
33
Life
irrigatio
n
34-65
6-8
2-5

Long duration
Days
No. of
Water
irrigatio
level
n
(cm)
1-35
6-8
2-3
35
Thin
film of
water
38
Life
irrigation

39-90
12-15
2-5
or 95
51-70
5-6
2-5
66-95
8-10
2-5
967-9
2-5
125
715-6
2-5
966-8
2-5
1265-6
2-5
105
125
150
Note: Stop irrigation 10 days before harvest Number of irrigation may be decided depending
upon the receipt of rain and available moisture content.
For summer rice under limited resources of water, phasic stress irrigation can be
practised to the advantage of saving substantial quantity of irrigation water without any
significant reduction in yield. About 20-30% more area can be irrigated with the same water
resources by adopting any of the following phasic stress irrigation schedules as given in the
following table. Depending up on the schedule, water saving ranges from 24-36% of the

requirement for 5 cm continuous submergence throughout the crop growth. Grain yield
reduction in the above practice is only 0.1% to 1.6%.

Table 2: Phasic stress irrigation schedules for rice

Stages
Schedule
Category I
Category II
Category III

Rooting to max.
tillering
Continuous
submergence
Saturation point*

Continuous
submergence
Category IV
Hair cracking of
surface*
*Irrigation at 5 cm to be given at these stages.

Max. tillering to
heading
Saturation point*

Heading to maturity

Continuous
submergence
Continuous
submergence
Continuous
submergence

Continuous
submergence
Hair cracking of
surface*
Hair cracking of
surface*

Saturation point*

A paddy field is simply defined as a flat land surrounded with bunds to keep water
stagnant, and is attached to ditches and drains. The water reaches each paddy field through a
diversion point and an elaborate network of canals. The network of canals consists of division
works, the main, the secondary, the tertiary, the quaternary canals, an so on. At the quaternary
level, the water reaches a minimum unit of irrigation organization. At each level of canals, the
main, secondary, tertiary, and quarterly, the combination of irrigation facilities and
organizations enable farmers to use the river water for rice paddy farming fairly and
impartially. Canal network can reduce the use of land and help the distribute the water from
reservoir.

Besides, sensor networks also introduce as new technolgy in paddy farming: Sensors
and wireless networks are about as low cost as can be these days. It use soil tension sensors
combined with data about temperature, weather and humidity to manage smarter irrigation
systems for farmers. These irrigation systems use gathered data to find more efficient times
and better ways to use water.
By using these new technologies, the water input cost can be lower and the rice produce
will be increase in kilogram every year. The rice can be sell faster by the way push marketing.
It is the strategy which focuses on taking the product to the customer, and putting the product
in front of the customer at the point of purchase. This type of marketing strategy hopes to
minimize the amount of time between a customer discovering a product and buying that

product. The greatest advantage of push marketing is that it produces quick results and makes
clear statements to customers. It is less concerned with branding, and more concerned with
creating an instant demand for a new product.