Sprinkler irrigation: An efficient and eco-friendly approach to produce safe rice

Abstract

Rice is the most widely grown and consumed cereal globally. It is the primary source of sustenance for half of the world's population and may remain so for future generations. However, rice cultivation is currently considered environmentally unfriendly due to its high use of irrigation water, significant emissions of greenhouse gases, and bioaccumulation of arsenic in the grain. These concerns are attributed to the global use of continuous flooding as irrigation method. To address this issue, replacing continuous flooding with intermittent sprinkler irrigation can result in significant water savings while maintaining the same product yield. This method also offers further agronomic benefits. Moreover, this method can reduce the bioaccumulation of toxic elements and greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, sprinkler irrigation can produce healthy rice from plants grown in soils contaminated with arsenic and cadmium. It can also help minimize the concentration of many other toxic elements in rice or tune the levels of trace elements, such as selenium or iron as required.