Field water management to save

water and increase its productivity in

irrigated lowland rice
Abstract

Rice production in Asia needs to increase to feed a growing population

whereas water for irrigation is getting scarcer. Major challenges are to
(i) save water; (ii) increase water productivity and (iii) produce more
rice with less water. This study analyzes the ways in which water-saving
irrigation can help to meet these challenges at the field level. The
analyses are conducted using experimental data collected mostly in
central–northern India and the Philippines. Water input can be reduced
by reducing ponded water depths to soil saturation or by alternate
wetting/drying. Water savings under saturated soil conditions were on
average 23% (±14%) with yield reductions of only 6% (±6%). Yields
were reduced by 10–40% when soil water potentials in the root
zone were allowed to reach −100 to −300 mbar. In clayey soils,
intermittent drying may lead to shrinkage and cracking, thereby risking
increased soil water loss, increased water requirements and decreased
water productivity. Water productivity in continuous flooded rice was
typically 0.2–0.4 g grain per kg water in India and 0.3–1.1 g grain per
kg water in the Philippines. Water-saving irrigation increases water
productivity, up to a maximum of about 1.9 g grain per kg water, but
decreases yield. It therefore does not produce more rice with less water
on the same field. Field-level water productivity and yield can only be
increased concomitantly by improving total factor productivity or by
raising the yield potential. Total rice production can be increased by
using water saved in one location to irrigate new land in another. If this
is not done, a strategy of saving water at the field level potentially
threatens total rice production at large.
 On-farm strategies for reducing
water input in irrigated rice; case
studies in the Philippines
Abstract

Traditional transplanted rice with continuous standing water in Asia has

relatively high water inputs. Because of increasing water scarcity, there
is a need to develop alternative systems that require less water. This
paper reports results of on-farm experiments in the Philippines to reduce
water input by water-saving irrigation techniques and alternative crop
establishment methods, such as wet and dry seeding. With continuous
standing water, direct wet-seeded rice yielded higher than traditional
transplanted rice by 3–17%, required 19% less water during the crop
growth period and increased water productivity by 25–48%. Direct dry-
seeded rice yielded the same as transplanted and wet-seeded rice, but
can make more effective use of early season rainfall in the wet season
and save irrigation water for the subsequent dry season. Direct seeding
can further reduce water input by shortening the land preparation
period. In transplanted and wet-seeded rice, keeping the soil
continuously around saturation reduced yields on average by 5% and
water inputs by 35% and increased water productivity by 45%
compared with flooded conditions. Intermittent irrigation further reduced
water inputs but at the expense of increased yield loss. Under water-
saving irrigation, wet-seeded rice out-yielded transplanted rice by 6–
36% and was a suitable establishment method to save water and retain
high yields. Groundwater depth greatly affected water use and the
possibilities of saving water. With shallow groundwater tables of 10–
20 cm depth, irrigation water requirements and potential water savings
were low but yield reductions were relatively small. The introduction of
water-saving technologies at the field level can have implications for the
hydrology and water use at larger spatial scale levels.
Adoption and economics of alternate
wetting and drying water
management for irrigated lowland
rice
Abstract

To counteract the increasing unavailability of water for agriculture, the

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and its national agricultural
research and extension system (NARES) partners have worked together
to develop and promote the “alternate wetting and drying” (AWD) water
management technology. In this paper, we review progress in the
development and dissemination of AWD in several Asian countries, and
provide evidence of its extent of adoption and economic impact. AWD
involves the partial drainage of rice fields, which is done by irrigating the
fields to the desired depth and then re-irrigating after some time, when
the water dissipates. To guide proper implementation, a simple, very
low cost, farmer-friendly tool – a perforated “field water tube” – was
devised. Demonstration trials and training have been conducted in eight
countries in Asia, with large scale adoption in the Philippines, Vietnam
and Bangladesh. AWD has reduced irrigation water input by up to 38%
with no yield reductions if implemented correctly. Water pumping
expenses and fuel consumption decrease also, thus increasing farmers’
income—by 38% in Bangladesh, 32% in the Philippines, and 17% in
southern Vietnam, based on “with and without” AWD comparison. The
investment to develop and disseminate the AWD technology has a high
rate of return, with benefit-cost ratio of 7:1. The evidence of economic
benefits at the farm level when aggregated up more than compensates
for the total research investments made to develop and disseminate the
technology. Successful NARES partnerships and strong farmers’ groups
were critical factors in the validation and dissemination of the
technology. AWD has also been successfully integrated into national
government programs, which also facilitated the widespread adoption of
the technology in these countries.