Ecophysiological adaptability of rice sown on residual ridges of previous soybean cultivation

Abstract

The furrow-ridge system was designed to allow the cultivation of dryland crop species in lowlands, enabling rotation with rice. After harvesting the dryland species, farmers usually return with rice in the following cropping season, with costs associated with dismantling ridges before sowing rice. The possibility of sowing rice directly on residual ridges should be investigated to avoid these costs. The objective was to verify the ecophysiological adaptability of rice sown on residual ridges from the previous dryland crop in lowlands, and to identify possible factors impacting the physiological performance of rice plants in this new production system. The experiment was installed in the field in a randomized block design with 5 treatments and 12 replications. The treatments considered the plant’s position in the field and in the irrigation furrow. The parameters of the growth analysis were calculated using the classical method. There was no significant damage to rice plants in any part of the field, and there was no difference between plants at the top or bottom of the furrow. Therefore, there is no need to dismantle residual ridges from previous dryland crops before planting rice in the succeeding cropping season in the lowlands of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.