Estimation of potential recharge through direct seeded and transplanted rice fields in semi-arid regions of Punjab using HYDRUS-1D

The present study utilizes soil water balance and HYDRUS-1D for estimating predicting potential recharge in groundwater declining region of central Punjab, respectively. A field experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Two treatments viz direct-seeded (DSR) transplanted rice (TPR) with three replications, were sown/transplanted during kharif season 2019. amount applied through rainfall/irrigation recorded bottom flux measured using frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) then predicted order to assess which further compared deep percolation determined balance. performance the evaluated RMSE, NSE, R2 found be performing well. paired t-test (t = 1.28 t 1.30 TPR DSR, respectively) non-significant P 0.05 showed correspondence between estimated parameters. percentage change 0.7% 2.32% revealed that there 9% saving 14.6% more (cumulative flux) DSR as may potentially contribute recharge.