Rice Cultivation under Drip Irrigation with Plastic Film Mulch in the Kanto Area of Japan

Abstract

A drip irrigation system with plastic mulch film was evaluated in terms of growth, yield, and water productivity (WP) using three leading paddy rice cultivars (Japonica) in the Kanto area of Japan. A cultivation with drip irrigation and plastic film mulch in the upland field (DI) and continuous flooding cultivation in a paddy field (CF) were conducted in 2015 (DI) and 2016 (DI and CF). The amounts of irrigation and total water supply (irrigation and precipitation) were 715 mm, 599 mm, and 905 mm and 1620 mm, 1379 mm, and 1687 mm for DI in 2015, DI in 2016, and CF in 2016, respectively. The percentages of irrigation for DI in 2015 and 2016 compared to those of CF were 79% and 66%, respectively. The grain yields in 2015 were higher than those in 2016 for DI. The DI in 2016 showed significantly lower grain yields compared to those of CF, representing 74% to 85% of the CF which were attributed to lower leaf area indexes in DI. There was no significant difference in WP between DI and CF, between years and among cultivars, ranging from 0.25 to 0.30 kg m -3 , showing an offset of the reduction in irrigation water by lower yields in DI. The rice cultivation system under drip irrigation with plastic film mulch showed a large water-saving effect, no physiological damage due to water stress and a slight reduction of grain yield compared to that of the paddy field.

Effect of Irrigation Systems on Rice Productivity

“…The interaction of cultivar TH, DID (18 cm), and the SDIS provided the best PVI value (71.15 cm). Results further illustrated that the increased DID achieved the lowest harvest index at 32.66%, 32.06%, and 29.09%, respectively (Sangsoo et al, 2021).…”

“…The drip irrigation system definition is the addition of water through point and line sources above and beneath the soil surface at a little operative compression and a faint emptying rate, resulting in part-time moistening of the soil surface (Hanson and May, 2007;Hamoud et al, 2018). Therefore, it is crucial to develop agronomic practices that potentially minimize water use without reducing planting distance (Sangsoo et al, 2021). This system can apply water precisely and uniformly at a high irrigation frequency compared with furrow and sprinkler irrigation, potentially increasing yield, reducing subsurface drainage, and providing better salinity control (Irmak et al, 2014).…”

Fundamentals of Irrigation Methods and Their Impact on Crop Production

“…Soil moisture content can be used to determine an irrigation schedule. The moisture content of the soil is measured with the aid of instruments, these include FDR soil moisture meter (DIK-321A, Daiki Rika Kogyo Co. Ltd., Kounosu, Japan) [25,26] Fundamentals of Irrigation Methods and Their Impact on Crop Production DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105501 and when soil moisture goes below a critical level, irrigation commences. The soil moisture-based irrigation schedule takes into consideration the type of soil and its composition to determine the availability of water in the soil.…”