Evaluation of fertigation scheduling for sugarcane using a vadose zone flow and transport model

► Modelling of vadose zone of sugarcane crop in drip irrigation was done using HYDRUS. ► Quantified fluxes of urea, ammonium, and nitrate into the crop roots, volatilization fluxes and deep drainage. ► An optimal fertigation schedule developed that reduced the use of urea by 30%. ► Modelling is useful before planning field experiments for designing optimal fertigation schedules. Micro-irrigation has become an optimal means for providing water and nutrients to crops. There is an ample space for improving fertilizer use efficiency with micro-irrigation, if the movement and reactions of fertilizers in the soil are well understood. However, the rhizosphere dynamics of nutrients is very complex, depending on many factors such as soil temperature, pH, water content, and soil and plant characteristics. Many factors cannot be easily accurately quantified. However, using state-of-the-art modelling techniques, useful and reliable information can be derived. An attempt was made to evaluate the reactive transport of urea in the root zone of a sugarcane crop under drip irrigation, and to quantify the fluxes of urea, ammonium, and nitrate into the crop roots, volatilization fluxes, and deep drainage using a numerical model. This quantification helped in designing an optimal fertigation schedule. Various parameters used in the model were taken from either the literature or the field study. A typical scenario, based on the recommended total quantity of urea for sugar cane crop under drip irrigation in India, was tested using HYDRUS-2D. The total amount of urea was divided into fortnightly doses, depending on the stage of crop growth. For this scenario, the modelled crop uptake was found to be 30% higher than the crop demand. Consequently, an optimal fertigation schedule was developed that reduced the use of urea by 30% while at the same time providing enough N for its assimilation at all stages of crop growth. This type of modelling study should be used before planning field experiments for designing optimal fertigation schedules.