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What crop needs the most water?
“Sugarcane is one of the most water-intensive crops,” according to Wada. It takes an average of 210 liters of water to produce one kg of sugarcane. The water footprint of refined sugar is 1,780 liters of water, nine full bathtubs, per kilogram, according to the Water Footprint Network.
Which crop need more water rice or wheat?
Rice needs standing water for growth but wheat takes four to six irrigation up to harvesting.
Which are water-intensive crops?
In the Indus Basin, rice is the thirstiest crop using about 70 million cubic metres of water annually, with cotton, wheat and sugar all using about 50 million each. This is despite the fact that there are more hectares of wheat grown than the other three crops put together.
Which crop is called thirsty crop?
Farmers who once grew millet, sorghum, and other cereals have turned to sugarcane in Maharashtra, which fetches more money but is a very thirsty crop. Likewise, farmers have taken to growing rice and wheat in Punjab and Haryana, two parched states where the groundwater has sunk even further.
Does rice need lots of water to grow?
Roots also need to take up water from the soil to support plant growth. Rice is a crop that can flourish in flooded soils, whereas many other plants will die, so flooding of rice paddies is an important way to control weeds in rice fields.
Is cotton a water intensive crop?
Cotton is a water intensive crop that requires almost 75 lakh liters of water per hectare. That’s roughly 40,000 liters per day, considering a six month life cycle, i.e 4 tankers of water every day.
Which crop is known as white gold?
Cotton is also known as white gold.
Is Sugarcane a thirsty crop?
Sugarcane is an exceptionally water-intensive crop, needing between 1,500 and 3,000 litres of water per kilogram of cane. Of the crops most commonly grown in India, only rice and cotton require more water. This would be especially effective if other, less thirsty, crops were presented as an attractive alternative.
Which crop uses the least water?
These include cool-season legumes such as peas, lentils and fava beans, and the crucifer crops: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, turnips and watercress. Sweet corn and lettuce are shallow-rooted and don’t do well without a lot of water.