Evapotranspiration of a Hungarian rice variety, ‘SZV Tünde’ in large weighing lysimeter

Abstract

Aerobic rice production is an alternative growing method to reduce water consumption of rice and thus increase the water productivity of the system without a significant reduction of yield and quality. Evapotranspiration (ETc) of a Hungarian rice variety, ‘SZV Tünde’ under aerobic conditions was measured in large weighing lysimeter during the growing season in 2020. In our experiment, 506.7 g/m2 grain yield and a total above-ground biomass of 1140.4 g/m2 were produced with the application of 315.6 mm of irrigation. Water use-efficiency (WUE) based on the water input and the grain yield was 0.65 g/L. Total ETc for the whole season was measured as 648.3 mm. However, ETc values were ranged 2.04-3.86 mm/day, 3.57-7.90 mm/day and 0.90-4.26 mm/day at the initial, mid and end stages, respectively. Crop coefficients for the different periods of the season were calculated as Kcini=0.82, Kcmid=1.40 and Kcend=0.77. Negative effects of drought can seriously damage rice crop; therefore irrigation scheduling has significant role in successful aerobic rice cultivation. Reliable estimation of evapotranspiration rate in different crop developmental stages can promote this goal.