Farming on the fringe: Shallow groundwater dynamics and irrigation scheduling for maize and wheat in Bangladesh’s coastal delta

Highlights • Maize and wheat are proposed for diversification, but irrigation advice is limited.• Soil moisture content was above or near drained upper limit for depths below 0.5 m.• A significant effect of irrigation on yield was observed for maize only, in one year.• One irrigation, in addition to a starter irrigation, generally is sufficient to grow a crop.• Low-input maize cultivation is not always profitable and low fertilizer rates increase risk of negative returns.

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