Improving the Operating Conditions of Rice Irrigation Systems as Part of the Water Management Complex of the Lower Kuban

Abstract

AbstractThe rice irrigation system is designed to irrigate rice and related rotation crops. It consists of canals of the irrigation and drainage network, irrigation cards (divided into checks by rollers), structures (water intakes, pumping stations, settling tanks). Water in rice paddies comes from cart sprinklers, the last link in the irrigation network. After sowing in dry soil, the field is flooded with a layer of water 5–7 cm, part of which evaporates, a certain amount is absorbed into the soil, the rest of the water is discharged after a few days. The field is then flooded with a layer of water (20–25 cm) to control weeds. During the tillering phase, the water layer is reduced to 5 cm, and at the end it is again increased to 12–15 cm, maintaining this layer of water in the check until the rice milky ripeness phase. At the onset of the phase of wax ripeness, the water remaining in the check is dumped, and the soil is dried to ensure rice harvesting. At present, rice growing has embarked on the path of expanded diversification with a wide range of production, processing and marketing of agricultural products produced in the irrigated area. However, the rice irrigation system functionally does not correspond to this modern concept, and the strategy for its reconstruction still does not have a clear methodological basis. In the article, the authors develop the conditions that must be met by a modern rice irrigation system that meets the ecological nature of all crops cultivated in the crop rotation, providing equal rights for irrigation and agrotechnological operations at the required time in accordance with the biological phases of plant development.KeywordsRice systemRiceRice cultivationRice rotation cropsRice maps