Development of Computational Decision Making Tool for Predicting the Growth and Development of Rice Crop Using Location Specific Diurnal Air Temperature Data

Temperature plays an active role in growth and development of any plant. From sowing till maturity, the plant has to undergo different phenological phases called crop growth stages/plant growth stages. Measuring growing degree days (GDD) is employed to assess the growth and development of any plants provided all other factors required for the growth of the plants are conducive. The plant growth may cease if the plant experiences a certain low temperature specific to each plant species called base temperature. Keeping in view that each plant species and crop varieties has its own requirement of growing degree days from sowing to till harvest, a study was undertaken to assess the GDD requirement for rice crop varieties ADT 38 and CR 1009 during kharif and rabi, respectively, in South India The objective of this study is to (1) calculate GDD on daily basis (2) develop a mathematical model to forecast crop growth stage and maturity date based on AGDD (3) verify the model using field data and (4) provide farmers with a forecast tool to estimate crop growth and crop maturity date well in advance. The results revealed that the two cultivars attained physiological maturity at 134 and 154 days after sowing, respectively. Variation in the growing degree days was observed between cultivars. The growing degree days (GDD) of both the varieties of rice indicated that the variety CR 1009 availed more GDD (2481.3) as compared to variety ADT 38 (2207.9) due to longer duration of the variety.