FCRDI Divisions – Soil and Water Management Division

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FCRDI DIVISIONS

Soil and Water Management Division

Mandate of the Division

Conducting research and development activities on efficient use of soil and water resources while conserving their quality and quantity to obtain maximum productivity in crop production.

Services

  • Research and development activities on soil and water management aspects.
  • Conducting technology dissemination programs on soil and water management aspects through face to face mode and through printed and electronic media.
  • Field investigations upon request by farmers or other stake holders and give recommendations to rectify the issues with soil and water management aspects.
  • Providing the technical support in designing and establishing the irrigation systems in national level projects and programmes conducted by various Ministries, Departments and other agencies.
  • Supervising and facilitating the University and Diploma students in their research projects.

Technologies

  • Optimum irrigation water requirement of hybrid maize in Reddish Brown Earth Soils.
  • Optimum interval of irrigation for green chilli grown in Reddish Brown Earth Soils.
  • Fertigation recommendation for chilli under drip irrigation.
  • Layout package on sprinkler irrigation system for onion.
  • Methods for enhanced adoptability of sustainable soil conservation approaches.
  • Recommendations for increasing land productivity through modified ‘Alley Cropping’ systems for nullifying future climate change.
  • Spatially and temporally characterized soil salinity in an irrigated cropping system in the dry zone of Sri Lanka using proximal soil sensing.
  • Spatio-temporal variability of the quality of the irrigation water in a rice-other field crops cropping system in the Mahaweli system ‘H’ of Sri Lanka.
  • Best management packages towards enhanced productivity of chilli, onion and mung bean based on drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.

Research and Development

Presently engaged in the research and development activities on soil and water management on the following areas.

Programme

Expected outputs/ outcomes

Web based weather forecasting for crop advisories (with the collaboration of the Natural Resource Management Centre of the DoA and the Department of Climatology)

Supported already operational process of generation, dissemination and application of fore-cast based agricultural advisories by DoA using web-based weather forecasting

Automation of irrigation systems based on soil moisture sensing (with the collaboration of the Engineering Division of the DOA)

Increased overall productivity of inputs by automation of the irrigation systems

Building the Basis for Implementing the Save and Grow Approach – Regional Strategies on Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Intensification of Cropping Systems

(FAO project)

Developed strategies on sustainable and climate-resilient intensification of cropping systems under Save Grow approach.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of different types of mulching materials under sprinkler irrigation systems

Effectiveness of different types of mulching materials under sprinkler irrigation systems

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Super Water Absorbents in crop production

Effectiveness of Super Water Absorbent products in crop production

Technologies released recently

Two technology packages, ‘Sprinkler irrigation-based agronomic management packages for chilli, onion and mung bean’ and ‘Drip irrigation-based agronomic management packages for chill and onion’ were released at the Technology Releasing Committee Meeting of the Department of Agriculture held on 19-07-2019.

Officers of the Division

Mr. R.A.C.J. Perera
Assistant Director of Agriculture (Research) - Soil and Water Management