Research study begins on the commercial potential of irrigation scheduling in Ghana

The RECIRCULATE team is pleased to welcome Gilbert Osei to the project. Gilbert’s research at the CSIR Institute for Industrial Research will explore the commercial potential of irrigation scheduling in Ghana. The project comprises of social research and an experimental field trial.

The social research will be conducted to determine the commercial potential of demand specific irrigation technologies by engaging farmers under the National Irrigation Scheme and other farmer association for baseline information and knowledge sharing to ascertain whether small-holder agriculture can benefit from new approaches to irrigation-based on the understanding of crop biology and access to new technologies. It is expected that farmers will be willing to adopt new technology and to pay for water. Farmers are expected to have little or no knowledge of deficit irrigation but have some level of knowledge in irrigation scheduling.

An experimental field trial on the various irrigation scheduling techniques will be conducted to compare the growth, yield and water productivity response of tomato plants subjected to thermal imaging (plant sensing) Penman-Monteith (meteorology), tensiometer (soil sensing) and grower intuition methods of irrigation scheduling. It is expected that thermal imaging, Penman-Monteith (meteorology), tensiometer scheduling methods would result in better growth, yield and water productivity of tomato when compared to grower intuition irrigation scheduling.

Gilbert Osei is versatile researcher with interest in deficit irrigation, drip irrigation, pitcher irrigation and irrigation water quality. He holds a first degree in General Agriculture and a MPhil degree in Irrigation technology. He is currently a doctoral fellow at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Cape Coast, Ghana pursuing a PhD in Irrigation technology and Management.