Back to home The Math We Use

Formulas & Equations
Behind Every Recommendation.

Every number we give you, every irrigation schedule, every pest alert, every fertigation recipe, is calculated from one of the equations below. We publish them here in full so your in-house agronomist or consulting engineer can audit our work at any time.

01

Vegetation Indices

Satellite-derived indicators of crop health, biomass, chlorophyll, moisture, and stress. Computed from multispectral band ratios.

NDVI

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

NDVI = (NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red)

The most widely used measure of crop vigour. Output ranges from -1 to +1; healthy crops sit at 0.6 to 0.9. Used for overall canopy health, biomass estimation, and stress detection.

NIR = near-infrared band (~842 nm), Red = red band (~665 nm). From Sentinel-2 bands B8 and B4.
NDMI

Normalized Difference Moisture Index

NDMI = (NIR − SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR)

Measures canopy water content and detects early drought stress before visible wilting. Values below 0.2 signal water stress; above 0.4 indicates healthy moisture.

SWIR = short-wave infrared (~1610 nm). Sentinel-2 B8 and B11.
NDRE

Normalized Difference Red Edge

NDRE = (NIR − RedEdge) / (NIR + RedEdge)

More sensitive than NDVI at high canopy densities. Saturates later, making it the go-to index for mid-to-late-season nitrogen and chlorophyll diagnosis on tree crops and dense canopies.

RedEdge ~705 nm, Sentinel-2 B5.
GNDVI

Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

GNDVI = (NIR − Green) / (NIR + Green)

More sensitive to chlorophyll concentration than NDVI. Particularly useful for nitrogen stress detection and for crops where NDVI saturates.

Green ~560 nm, Sentinel-2 B3.
EVI

Enhanced Vegetation Index

EVI = G × (NIR − Red) / (NIR + C1×Red − C2×Blue + L)

Improves on NDVI by reducing atmospheric and soil-background noise. Better separation in dense canopies and more stable under variable aerosols.

G = 2.5, C1 = 6, C2 = 7.5, L = 1 (soil adjustment). Uses Sentinel-2 B2, B4, B8.
SAVI

Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index

SAVI = ((NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red + L)) × (1 + L)

Corrects NDVI for soil brightness in sparse canopies. Critical in young plantations, after harvest, or in arid zones with bare-soil contribution.

L = soil adjustment factor (0.5 default; 0.25 dense, 0.75 sparse).
LAI

Leaf Area Index

LAI = −ln(1 − fPAR) / k

Total one-sided leaf area per unit ground. A key input for biomass and evapotranspiration modelling. Optimal values vary by crop (paddy 4-6, coconut 3-5, vegetables 2-4).

fPAR = fraction of PAR absorbed, k = light extinction coefficient (0.4-0.6 typical).
NDWI

Normalized Difference Water Index

NDWI = (Green − NIR) / (Green + NIR)

Detects open water, ponds, and waterlogged areas. Used to map farm ponds, monitor reservoir levels, and flag drainage issues after rainfall events.

Sentinel-2 B3 and B8. Thresholded at 0 to separate water from land.
02

Water & Climate

Equations that drive irrigation scheduling, evapotranspiration modelling, and microclimate control.

ET

Evapotranspiration (FAO-56 Penman-Monteith)

ETc = Kc × ET₀
ET₀ = f(Rn, G, T, u₂, es, ea, Δ, γ)

Combines soil evaporation and plant transpiration to estimate daily crop water demand. The reference ET₀ is scaled by a crop coefficient Kc that changes with growth stage. Primary input for irrigation scheduling.

Rn = net radiation, G = soil heat flux, T = mean air temperature, u₂ = wind at 2 m, es-ea = saturation vapour pressure deficit, Δ = slope of vapour curve, γ = psychrometric constant.
VPD

Vapour Pressure Deficit

VPD = SVP(T) − AVP
SVP(T) = 0.6108 × e(17.27T / (T + 237.3))

Measures the drying power of the air. Optimal VPD for most crops is 0.8 to 1.2 kPa. Above this, stomata close and growth halts. Essential for polyhouse fogging and fan-pad control decisions.

SVP = saturated vapour pressure, AVP = actual vapour pressure, both in kPa.
Peff

Effective Rainfall (FAO)

Peff = P × (125 − 0.2×P) / 125

Portion of gross rainfall that is actually usable by the crop after runoff, deep percolation, and canopy interception. Drives the irrigation offset: Deficit = ETc − Peff.

Valid when monthly rainfall P < 250 mm. For higher rainfall the FAO formula switches to a flat 75% coefficient.
CWSI

Crop Water Stress Index

CWSI = (Tcanopy − Twet) / (Tdry − Twet)

A 0 to 1 scale of crop water stress derived from canopy thermal imaging. 0 means fully watered, 1 means severe stress. Drone thermal or satellite LST pass feeds this calculation directly.

Twet = well-watered canopy temperature, Tdry = non-transpiring upper limit.
03

Plant Physiology & Phenology

Thermal models and light equations that drive growth stage prediction, flowering timing, and harvest windows.

GDD

Growing Degree Days

GDD = Σ [(Tmax + Tmin) / 2 − Tbase]

Cumulative thermal units above a crop-specific base temperature. Used to predict germination, flowering, and maturity windows with precision. Essential for scheduling irrigation, fertiliser, and harvest labour.

Tbase: rice 10°C, wheat 8°C, coconut 12°C, maize 10°C, tomato 10°C.
PPFD

Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density

PPFD = 0.45 × Rs × 4.57

Amount of photosynthetically active light (400 to 700 nm) reaching the canopy, in μmol/m²/s. Derived from satellite solar radiation products using the 0.45 PAR fraction and the 4.57 μmol/J conversion factor.

Rs = incoming shortwave solar radiation in W/m², from MODIS, CERES, or Sentinel-3 OLCI.
04

Hydraulic Engineering

Core equations used to design irrigation systems that deliver 95%+ distribution uniformity at minimum energy cost.

Friction

Hazen-Williams

hf = 10.67 × L × (Q/C)1.852 / D4.87

Head loss due to pipe friction, the dominant hydraulic loss in any farm irrigation network. Every pipe diameter in our designs is sized against this equation.

hf = head loss (m), L = length (m), Q = flow (m³/s), C = roughness coefficient (~150 for PVC, 140 for HDPE), D = internal diameter (m).
Energy

Bernoulli's Equation

P1/γ + v1²/2g + z1 = P2/γ + v2²/2g + z2 + hL

Conservation of energy across any two points in a pipe system. Pressure head plus velocity head plus elevation head equals a constant, minus total losses hL.

γ = specific weight of water, g = 9.81 m/s², z = elevation (m).
DU

Distribution Uniformity

DU = (Avg flow of lowest 25% / Overall average) × 100%

Single most important quality metric for an irrigation system. Our designs target 95%+ for drip, 85%+ for sprinkler, and 75%+ for surface.

Measured at field commissioning using a catch-can test across representative emitters.
Power

Pump Power Required

P (kW) = (Q × H × ρ × g) / (η × 1000)

Electrical power the pump must deliver. Drives pump selection, electrical load calculation, and solar-plant sizing for off-grid farms.

Q = flow (m³/s), H = total dynamic head (m), ρ = 1000 kg/m³, g = 9.81 m/s², η = pump efficiency (typical 0.6-0.8).

Standards & Design Targets

Standards referencedISO 9260 · BIS 15086 · FAO-56
Distribution Uniformity> 95% drip · > 85% sprinkler
Water savings vs flood30 to 50%
Pump energy reductionUp to 25%
Operating pressure (drip)1 to 2 bar
Operating pressure (sprinkler)2.5 to 4 bar
Pipe velocity range0.5 to 2.5 m/s
Emitter CV target< 5%
05

Survey & Mapping Accuracy

The accuracy standards we commit to on every land survey, digital map, and topographic deliverable.

Land Survey Accuracy

Horizontal accuracy (RTK-GPS)±1 to 5 cm
Vertical accuracy (elevation)±2 to 10 cm
Drone photogrammetry resolution1 to 5 cm/pixel
Boundary traverse closure< 1:5000

Digital Mapping Output

Ground Sample Distance (GSD)2 to 5 cm/pixel
Positional accuracy±3 cm horizontal, ±5 cm vertical
Deliverable formatsGeoTIFF · LAS · OBJ
Coordinate referenceWGS84 / UTM zone-specific

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