Effect of Drip Irrigation in rice cultivation

Sumit Tewari, Lovely Professional University

Abstract
Drip irrigation is the most efficient and one of the best irrigation practices in the case
of rice cultivation. Because it makes farmers independent from the uncertainty of
rainwater. In India around 54% of cultivated land is rainfed. From the environmental
perspective, it could reduce the methane and CO2 emissions from the rice field.

Keywords: Drip irrigation, Yield, Crop water requirement, Water scenario

Introduction
Drip irrigation is the slow, even distribution of low-pressure water to soil and plant
rhizosphere via plastic tubing placed at the root zone of the plants. It is an alternative
to irrigating crops via sprinklers or furrows. Crops with high or low water
requirements can employ drip irrigation.
Rice is one of the most important cereal food crops in India and It feeds more than
60 percent of the population. It covers around 23 percent of the total agricultural
crop area and production is around 120 million tons in FY 2020-21and it will be
around 555 million tons in 2035 (Riaz, Zaman; 2006). But the problem is we mostly
practised flood irrigation techniques and for this, so much water is needed. For the
production of 1 Kg of rice, almost 2500 litres of water is used. That's why as a
solution we can use drip irrigation which gives more yield and less water use.

A brief introduction to drip irrigation

Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the
potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of
plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. It is the most
efficient water and nutrient delivery system for growing crops. In places with limited
water supplies or in circumstances requiring precise control of water delivery, such
as in agriculture, landscaping, and home gardening, this method of irrigation is
frequently used.
A pump or other water source supplies water to the main conduit in a conventional
drip irrigation system. Then, a number of smaller tubes or hoses that are attached to
the primary pipeline are used to disperse the water. The tubing has emitters fitted
along it at regular intervals, which are tiny devices that release water drops. It is
possible to precisely manage the application of water by adjusting these emitters to
release a certain volume of water every hour.
Compared to other irrigation techniques, drip irrigation provides a number of
benefits. Water is provided directly to the plant roots, minimising water loss from
evaporation or runoff, making it potentially more efficient. Because water is only
provided to the plants and not the surrounding soil, it can also aid in reducing weed
growth. Drip irrigation systems can also be automated, giving users precise control
over water delivery schedule and volume, which can assist save labour and time
costs.

Types of Drip irrigation system

There are mainly 2 types of drip irrigation system-
a. Surface drip system:
It is direct application of water to the soil’s surface using drip irrigation. The method
is simple and easy to maintain that’s why this is the most popular one.
b. Sub-surface drip system:
In subsurface drip irrigation, the lateral is positioned close to the plant root zone area
beneath the soil. Through the emitters, water is gradually supplied below the surface
in this irrigation system. These systems have become more widely accepted as a
result of the significant reduction of earlier clogging issues.
A sub-surface drip system may have a longer operational life while causing little
disruption to crop cultivation or other cultural practises.

Drip irrigation in rice cultivation

For rice cultivation, Drip irrigation is the most efficient way of water utilisation. The
amount of irrigation water required under drip irrigation is the lowest i.e., almost 258
mm and the highest value was 365 mm and in conventional irrigation system it was
found 600 mm (Sarkar et al, 2018). The water requirements under drip irrigation were
less as compared to conventional (flooding) irrigation. Because of the stagnation
water condition of rice fields, it contributes 12% of global methane emission but if
we adopt drip irrigation it will decrease by a significant level.

Cost of a drip irrigation system

Installation cost of drip irrigation system depends on several factors like size of the
area, type of crop, type of soil, quality of water, level of automation etc. In India it cost
between 45000 rupees to 60,000 rupees.

Government subsidy for drip irrigation in India

States are able to obtain the money through NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development) loans at 3% below the cost of funds, with the remaining 3%
funded by the central government.
Small and marginal farmers will receive subsidies worth 55% of the indicative unit
cost under the PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana), while other farmers
will receive subsidies worth 45% of the indicative unit cost.
Water scenario of India
India has only a 4% share of global freshwater resources to full fill the need of 18% of
the world population (World bank, 2022). Per year around 80% of water is received
during monsoon season but due to limited water harvesting infrastructure, only 1/3rd
of this precipitation can be utilised and the rest creates runoff losses. Another
source of water is groundwater, and the agriculture sector alone used 89% of it for
irrigation and other practices, that's why the water table is getting down at an
alarming rate of
0.3 meters per year. In India, nearly 54% of cultivated land is rainfed, for that in most
cases farmers are dependent on rainfall and if it does not happen that will ruin their
crops along with their life. For farming like rice cultivation, it needs a huge amount of
water in the traditional flood irrigation method. So, if we want to change this harsh
condition we have to adopt new technology like Drip irrigation which is much more
water efficient and also at the same time gives a higher yield.

Necessity of Drip irrigation in current scenario

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important staple food in the world. It specially
grown in eastern and southern Asia. It may be produced in a wide range of
conditions and is often successful where other crops would not.Nature's gift to
humanity, water, is not always unlimited and free. Only around 1520 million cubic
kilometres of water are present in the universe, with 97% of that being ocean and sea
water, 2% being frozen arctic waters, and only 1% being water in lakes, rivers, and
underground reservoirs that can be carried about and used directly by humans
(Shaker, 2004). However, rice cultivation, considered to be the largest user of water
resources, uses around 50% of the water resources utilised in all economic activities
(Fan et al., 1996; FAO, 2010).

Conclusion
For agriculture, water is the most important factor, especially in rice cultivation with
the conventional method i.e. flood irrigation, there is a huge amount of water loss.
From this, we can see that almost 62% of the water has been saved in drip irrigation,
and production is also increased by 125%. Through all of this farmer's income will
increase by around 50%. So, obviously drip irrigation is the most efficient way of
irrigation but the drip irrigation system requires good and proper management and in
this system, the initial cost is very high to maintain and it maybe difficult for farmers.
Reference

Shaker, B. A. (2004). Effect of drip irrigation system on twovarieties of Phaseolus bean production
under the open field condition of Sudan. M. Sc.(Agri.). Thesis.

Fan, R. Sh. (Ed). (1996). Assessment of water resources in China (pp. 14-65). Beijing: Hydro and
Electricity Press.

FAO. (2010). Aquastat. Food and agriculture organization of the United States.

Sarkar, N., Ghosh, U., & Biswas, R. K. (2018). Effect of drip irrigation on yield and water use efficiency
of summer rice cultivation in pots. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 7(1), 37-40.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india/brief/world-water-day-2022-how-india-is-addressing-its-wa
ter-needs

https://govtschemes.in/micro-irrigation-fund#gsc.tab=0