Evaluation of water saving rice production systems

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during kharif, 2010 at the College Farm, Prof.jayashanakar Telangana State Agril.University (Formerly Acharya N.G.Ranga Agril.University), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad to evaluate different rice production technologies in order to assess the rice water productivity and water input under different methods of establishment. The treatments consisted of four methods of rice establishment -aerobic rice on raised beds with drip fertigation, aerobic rice on flat beds with surface irrigation, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and transplanted low land rice (conventional method) as main plots and three levels of Nitrogen (100, 150 and 200 kg N ha-1) in subplots. The grain yield obtained with transplanted low land and SRI methods of rice cultivation was comparable (non-significant) and significantly higher than that of aerobic rice grown either on raised beds with drip fertigation or on flat beds with surface irrigation. Among N levels - the grain yield obtained with 100 kg N ha-1 was comparable with that of 150 kg N ha-1 and significantly lower than that of 200 kg N ha-1. The results indicated that the aerobic rice grown either on raised beds or on flat beds has consumed less quantity of irrigation water as compared to SRI and conventional transplanted low land rice. The water productivity was higher in SRI followed by aerobic rice sown on raised beds. The lowest water productivity was observed in conventional transplanted low land rice.