Surface water use patterns of farm pond for sugarcane production: Case study of large-scale sugar cane plantation in Surin province

Abstract

The study of irrigated water management for sugarcane in a farm pond consisted of three main phases. The first phase was to estimate a requirement of irrigated water for sugarcane. The second phase was to estimate the volume of surface water in the farm pond by applying water balance principle of the farm pond. The third step was to simulate the combination of different planting patterns and variability of rainfall.  The variability of rainfall was classified into three patterns: dry years, normal years, and wet years. Planting patterns represented patterns of surface water were classified into 6 cases: planting sugarcane in October, ratooning sugarcane in December, January, February, March, and April. This related to a timeline of sugar factories to press sugarcanes.  Total cases of simulations were 18 cases. Calculated results of irrigated water requirement for sugarcane through 10 months of growing period were used.  To plant sugarcane in October, irrigated water requirement was at the highest when compared to the other cases. The amount of irrigated water for dry years, normal years, and wet years were 725, 714, and 688 mm/Rai and adequated for planting areas 35, 40 and 65 Rai, respectively.  To ratoon sugarcane in March, irrigated water requirement was at the lowest, irrigated water for dry years, normal years, and wet years are 199, 179 and 158 mm/Rai and adequated for planting area 175, 285 and 350 Rai, respectively. These results could be used as guidelines for irrigated water management for sugarcane, which considering all possible conditions of planting patterns and rainfall variability.