Efficacy of Nonlinear Root Water Uptake Model for a Multilayer Crop Root Zone

Abstract

A root uptake model developed and validated for a uniform crop root zone in a semiarid agroclimate is tested for its efficacy in predicting moisture depletion in a multilayer crop root zone in a subtemperate, subhumid agroclimate. Evaluation of moisture uptake prediction efficiency of model in uniform, vis-à-vis multilayer crop root zone, done on the basis of secondary experimental data of three crops, indicates significant improvement in predicted moisture uptake when a multilayered crop root zone is considered. To validate the enhanced prediction efficiency of the model, in the case of a multilayer crop root zone, field experiments on two Indian crops, i.e., Indian mustard (