Water Management for Sustainable Irrigation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Production: A Review

Abstract

In the face of the negative impacts of climate change and the accelerated growth of the global population, precision irrigation is important to conserve water resources, improve rice productivity and promote overall efficient rice cultivation, as rice is a rather water-intensive crop than other crops. For several decades, various water conserving technologies have been studied in order to significantly increase water use efficiency (WUE). The objective of this paper is to review the main technologies and approaches for assessing the water requirements of rice crop in order to contribute to water saving in irrigated rice production, after clarifying the performance indicators of the irrigated systems. Several scientific articles from previous studies were consulted and analyzed. These studies showed that irrigation water conservation includes a wide range of practices, staring from the crop irrigation water requirements assessment to the implementation of the water saving practices on the field. In addition, irrigation water conservation technologies could be categorized into three groups, namely water-conserving irrigation systems, water-saving irrigation methods, and water-conserving agronomic practices. The influence of the individual and combined irrigation water use efficiency tools was highlighted. This paper will enable researchers to acquire knowledge on water-saving methods for estimating the rice crop water requirements and thus allow them to effectively contribute to improve the performance of irrigated rice cultivation systems using various water conservation technologies.

The Effects of Heavy Metal Pollution on Soil Nitrogen Transformation and Rice Volatile Organic Compounds under Different Water Management Practices

“…Under AWD conditions, rice fields are drained for a certain period in which the field obtains a certain level of moisture and are then re-flooded. It has been reported that using AWD water technology saves about 23% of the water used for rice irrigation when compared to CF practices [ 8 , 40 ]. AWD technology has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane (CH 4 ) gas [ 38 , 44 ].…”

“…One widely used rice irrigation method around the globe is continuous flooding (CF). However, CF results in unproductive water loss such as seepage, evaporation, and percolation [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. To overcome unproductive water loss and maintain a high rice yield, water-saving irrigation methods have recently been introduced.…”

Water Stress Index and Stomatal Conductance under Different Irrigation Regimes with Thermal Sensors in Rice Fields on the Northern Coast of Peru

“…The implementation of AWD stands out due to its intermittent and controlled application of floods throughout the rice growing cycle. This approach allows for a reduction in overall water usage while ensuring that the rice crop receives an appropriate amount of water during critical stages of production to prevent negative impacts on yield and grain quality [6,7].…”