The book Water Management – Theory and Practicals is the result of sustained engagement with teaching, research, and the pressing challenges of efficient water use in agriculture. It embodies a collective commitment to strengthening scientific knowledge, enhancing practical skills, and promoting sustainable approaches to water management for future agricultural professionals. Recognizing water as the most critical and increasingly scarce resource in farming systems, the volume emphasizes its judicious, efficient, and equitable use as essential not only for crop productivity but also for ecological balance and long-term food security. The text goes beyond irrigation techniques, presenting water management as a broader philosophy of conservation, optimization, and integration of natural resources. Drawing from diverse strategies across India and the world—ranging from traditional water-harvesting structures and indigenous practices to modern innovations such as micro irrigation, precision scheduling, automation, and sensor-based tools—the book provides a structured, comprehensive, and application-oriented resource aligned with the ICAR Sixth Dean’s Committee syllabus. Designed as both a textbook and a practical manual, it covers fundamental concepts of soil–water–plant relationships, crop water requirements, irrigation methods, water-use efficiency, drainage, and water-saving technologies. Practical exercises are integrated throughout to foster hands-on learning, problem-solving abilities, and real-world understanding of water management challenges. Each chapter is enriched with examples, illustrations, and references to ensure conceptual clarity and experiential learning, making this volume a valuable guide for students, researchers, and practitioners in agricultural water management.

1.       Introduction to Irrigation and Water Resources

   Practical No. 1:          Identifying and Mapping the Major Irrigation Systems of India

   Practical No. 2:          Approximation of Utilizable Water Resources of India

   Practical No. 3:          Calculation of India’s Rainfall Contribution to Water Resources

   Practical No. 4:          Field Visit Report on Local Irrigation System

   2.       Soil-Water-Plant Relationships

   Practical No. 1:          Determination of Soil Texture by Feel Method and Laboratory Analysis

   Practical No. 2:          Measurement of Bulk Density and Particle Density

   Practical No. 3:          Determination of Infiltration Rate Using Double Ring Infiltrometer

   Practical No. 4:          Estimation of Field Capacity and Permanent Wilting Point

   Practical No. 5:          Estimation of Field Capacity

   Practical No. 6:          Determination of Permanent Wilting Point (Pwp)

   Practical No. 7:          Determination of Available Water Capacity

   Practical No. 8:          Measurement of Soil Moisture by Gravimetric Method

   Practical No. 9:          Measurement of Soil Water Potential Using Tensiometer

   Practical No. 10:        Soil Moisture Measurement Using Gypsum Block Method

   Practical No. 11:        Measurement of Soil Moisture Using Neutron Probe

   Practical No. 12:        Plotting Soil Moisture Retention Curve

   Practical No. 13:        Estimation of Soil Porosity and Degree of Saturation

   Practical No. 14:        Conversion of Gravimetric Moisture to Volumetric Moisture

   3.       Plant-Water Relationships and Crop Water Need

   Practical No. 1:          Demonstration of Osmosis and Plasmolysis in Plant Cells

   Practical No. 2:          Measurement of Water Potential Using Sucrose Solutions

   Practical No. 3:          Study of Imbibition Using Seeds

   Practical No. 4:          Measurement of Transpiration Using Potometer

   Practical No. 5:          Stomatal Frequency and Index Using Leaf Peel

   Practical No. 6:          Effect of Water Stress on Plant Growth

   Practical No. 7:          Identification of Critical Growth Stages for Irrigation

   Practical No. 8:          Microscopic Study of Root and Leaf Cross Sections

   Practical No. 9:          Estimation of Relative Water Content (Rwc)

   Practical No. 10:        Determination of Leaf Area Index (Lai)

   Practical No. 11:        Observation of Wilting and Recovery in Potted Plants

   Practical No. 12:        Nutrient Uptake Under Different Soil Moisture Regimes

   Practical No. 13:        Water Content (Rwc) Calculation

   Practical No. 14:        Stomatal Index (Si) Calculation

   Practical No. 15:        Leaf Area Index (Lai) Calculation

   Practical No. 16:        Stomatal Frequency and Index

   4.       Water Management in Crop Production

   Practical No. 1:          Estimation of Reference Evapotranspiration (Et?) Using Pan Evaporation Method

   Practical No. 2:          Calculation of Crop Evapotranspiration (Etc) Using Kc and Et?

   Practical No. 3:          Computation of Water Requirement of a Crop (Wr)

   Practical No. 4:          Determination of Effective Rainfall Using Scs Method

   Practical No. 5:          Estimation of Crop Water Requirement Using Soil Water Balance Method

   Practical No. 6:          Use of Drum Culture to Estimate Effective Rainfall

   Practical No. 7:          Estimation of Irrigation Efficiency Components

   Practical No. 8:          Estimation of Water Use Efficiency (Wue) and Water Productivity

   Practical No. 9:          Calculation of Water-Yield Relationship Using Ky and Etc

   Practical No. 10:        Preparation of Crop-Wise Irrigation Scheduling Table

   Practical No. 11:        Use of Climatic Data for Estimating Et? Using Modified Penman Method

   Practical No. 12:        Observation of Crop Response to Water Regimes

   5.       Methods of Irrigation

   Practical No. 1:          Identification and Layout of Surface Irrigation Methods

   Practical No. 2:          Determination of Application Efficiency in Surface Irrigation

   Practical No. 3:          Comparative Study of Surface Irrigation Methods

   Practical No. 4:          Field Layout and Design of Drip Irrigation System

   Practical No. 5:          Estimation of Water Discharge from Drip Emitters

   Practical No. 6:          Study of Sprinkler System Layout and Components

   Practical No. 7:          Measurement of Sprinkler Distribution Uniformity and Efficiency

   Practical No. 8:          Observation and Working of Surge Irrigation

   Practical No. 9:          Design of Subsurface Irrigation Layout

   Practical No. 10:        Demonstration of Sensor-Based Irrigation Scheduling

   Practical No. 11:        Variable Rate Irrigation Mapping and Interpretation

   Practical No. 12:        Smart Irrigation with Iot Platforms – Case Studies and Virtual Simulation

   6.       Water Use Efficiency and Scheduling

   Practical No. 1:          Estimation of Water Use Efficiency (Wue) Using Yield and Water Applied

   Practical No. 2:          Comparison of Agronomic, Irrigation, Physiological, and Economic Wue

   Practical No. 3:          Estimation of Conveyance, Application, and Overall Irrigation Efficiencies

   Practical No. 4:          Field Exercise: Observation of Water Losses in Irrigation

   Practical No. 5:          Demonstration of Water-Saving Technologies

   Practical No. 6:          Assessment of Iw/Cpe Ratio for Irrigation Scheduling

   Practical No. 7:          Use of Soil Moisture Tools for Irrigation Scheduling

   Practical No. 8:          Observation of Crop-Based Indicators of Water Stress

   Practical No. 9:          Estimation of Et Using Kc and Et? or Penman-Monteith Method

   Practical No. 10:        Remote Sensing Interpretation: Ndvi Maps for Irrigation Zones

   Practical No. 11:        Measurement of Irrigation Water Using Flow Meters and Flumes

   Practical No. 12:        Preparation of Irrigation Scheduling Table for a Crop

   7.       Irrigation Water Quality and Drainage

   Practical No. 1:          Measurement of Electrical Conductivity (Ec) of Irrigation Water

   Practical No. 2:          Determination of Sodium Adsorption Ratio (Sar)

   Practical No. 3:          Estimation of Residual Sodium Carbonate (Rsc)

   Practical No. 4:          Calculation of Soluble Sodium Percentage (Ssp)

   Practical No. 5:          Assessment of Magnesium Hazard (Mh)

   Practical No. 6:          Water Quality Suitability for Crops

   Practical No. 7:          Drainage System Observation

   Practical No. 8:          Estimation of Drain Spacing (Hooghoudt’s Method)

   Practical No. 9:          Effect of Sodic Water on Soil Properties

   Practical No. 10:        Measurement of Ph and Total Dissolved Solids (Tds)

   Practical No. 11:        Leaching Requirement (Lr) Calculation

   Practical No. 12:        Preparation of Water Quality Evaluation Report

   8.       Irrigation Practices for Important Crops

   Practical No. 1:          Irrigation Planning for Transplanted Rice

   Practical No. 2:          Irrigation Scheduling in Wheat

   Practical No. 3:          Water Management in Maize

   Practical No. 4:          Scheduling Irrigation for Cotton

   Practical No. 5:          Irrigation Estimation for Groundnut

   Practical No. 6:          Irrigation Needs of Mustard

   Practical No. 7:          Sunflower Water Scheduling

   Practical No. 8:          Pulse Irrigation Under Rainfed Conditions

   Practical No. 9:          Sugarcane Irrigation Management

   Practical No. 10:        Tomato Water Requirement and Drip Application

   Practical No. 11:        Banana Water Management Using Drip

   Practical No. 12:        Comparative Evaluation of Irrigation Practices

   Practical No. 13:        Pre-Filled Observation Table with Method-Specific Irrigation and Wue Remarks

   Practical No. 14:        Irrigation Planning for Transplanted Rice

   Practical No. 15:        Irrigation Scheduling in Wheat

   Practical No. 16:        Water Management in Maize

   Practical No. 17:        Scheduling Irrigation for Cotton

   Practical No. 18:        Irrigation Estimation for Groundnut

   Practical No. 19:        Irrigation Needs of Mustard

   Practical No. 20:        Sunflower Water Scheduling

   Practical No. 21:        Pulse Irrigation Under Rainfed Conditions

   Practical No. 22:        Sugarcane Irrigation Management

   Practical No. 23:        Tomato Water Requirement and Drip Application

   Practical No. 24:        Banana Water Management Using Drip

   Practical No. 25:        Comparative Evaluation of Irrigation Practices

   9.       Climate Change and Water Management

   Practical No. 1:          Analysis of Long-Term Rainfall and Temperature Trends

   Practical No. 2:          Glacier Retreat and Snow Cover Change Using Remote Sensing

   Practical No. 3:          Assessment of Salinity Intrusion on Irrigation Water Quality

   Practical No. 4:          Estimation of Carbon Footprint in Irrigation Systems

   Practical No. 5:          Field Demonstration of Deficit Irrigation

   Practical No. 6:          Review of Water Policies and Climate Adaptation Strategies

   Practical No. 7:          Case Study on Drought Impacts and Water Management Responses