An Outline of Fertilizer and Water Saving Irrigated Rice

Abstract

Abstract

As the demand of water for domestic, municipal, industrial and environmental purposes rises in the future, less water will be available for agriculture. We must therefore, find ways to increase the productivity of water used for irrigation. This paper reviews the literature on water saving irrigated rice. It identifies the reasons for the wide gap between water requirement and actual water input in irrigated rice production systems and discusses opportunities for bridging the gap both on-farm and at the system level. The potentials for water savings in rice production appear to be very large. Studies on the economic benefits and costs of alternative interventions are also lacking. Without this additional information, it will be difficult to identify the potential benefits and the most appropriate strategies for increasing irrigation water productivity in rice-based systems.

Keywords: Aerobic rice, drip irrigation, fertigation, submergence, water use efficiency.