Using olive mill waste compost with sprinkler irrigation as a strategy to achieve sustainable rice cropping under Mediterranean conditions

Abstract

Traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping systems under flooding irrigation combined with conventional tillage management are under increasing threat due to a loss of soil quality and a scarcity of water resources, especially in Mediterranean environments. Hence, the development of such management strategies as no-tillage, the application of organic amendments, and water-saving methods could be vital in enhancing the sustainability of rice crops. This work tests the combination of various management systems for growing rice under Mediterranean conditions. It assesses for the first time their influence on soil properties and rice yield components. A field experiment was carried out in southern Spain over 3 years (2015–2017) with six treatments: tillage and continuous flood irrigation either without or with application of two-phase olive mill waste compost; tillage and sprinkler irrigation either without or with application of mill waste compost; direct seeding (no tillage) and sprinkler irrigation either without or with application of mill waste compost. Applying mill waste compost in combination with sprinkler-rice systems improved significantly the soils’ properties. Sprinkler-rice yield was similar to that of rice under tillage and flooding, but it used less irrigation water. In 2017, the greatest rice yield occurred under tillage and sprinkler irrigation with application of mill waste compost (8581 kg ha-1), showing the importance of soil organic matter on yields. Additionnally, flooding increased significantly weed density because it lowered herbicide efficacy, making weed control a key issue for rice yields. Thus, the novelty of this communication is showing that the application of mill waste compost combined with sprinkler irrigation may be a sustainable alternative for rice crops under Mediterranean conditions, increasing the water efficiency and reducing weed pressure, while improving different soil properties.

Medium-Term Effects of Sprinkler Irrigation Combined with a Single Compost Application on Water and Rice Productivity and Food Safety

“…Therefore, the short persistence under flooding irrigation could lead to a lower herbicide efficacy. Similar to found Peña et al [ 36 ] for short-term effects, the medium-term effects of compost on herbicides efficacy in reference to original management were not significant, showing a similar trend between them ( Figure 1 ), suggesting that the water management and tillage operations are the principal factors on weed control for rice crop.…”

“…Thus, under SNT the Y values decreased from 9 226 to 7 070 kg ha −1 whereas under ST the Y values increased from 10 307 to 11 625 kg ha −1 throughout the study period ( Table 1 ). Furthermore, the values found under ST at medium-term effect were higher than those observed by Peña et al [ 36 ] for the short-term, indicating that the productive capacity of this management increases over time. Similar results were observed by Madhukar et al [ 50 ] who suggested strategies such as the conservation of soil and water resources, as well as the rotation of crops, in order to prevent rice yield stagnation under flooding irrigation.…”

“…These results demonstrate that the potential risk of water stress in rice under aerobic rice, which has been observed by different authors [ 45 ] disappears at least in the medium term. In fact, under tillage operations, after 5 years of implementation, the sprinkler irrigation (ST) showed higher values of RI than flooding (FT) ( Table 1 ), however, under the same treatments Peña et al [ 36 ] found opposite tendency (higher RI in FT than ST) but for short-term effect, indicating the importance of evaluated the effects beyond short-term. The effects of compost were not significant under any management system ( Table 1 ), probably because the amounts of water applied were meet the water requirements of rice crops ( ETc ).…”

“…Thus, field experiments were conducted to determine the medium-term effects of different irrigation and tillage methods combined with a single compost application on water and rice productivity, as well as food safety in a semiarid Mediterranean region. In addition, the present results have been closely compared with previous studies where the short-term effects of these methods on water and rice productivity [ 36 ] and food safety [ 29 ] were analyzed in order to test the longevity of these alternatives, a basic step for their implementation as sustainable rice systems.…”

Agricultural use of compost under different irrigation strategies in a hedgerow olive grove under Mediterranean conditions. A comparison with traditional systems

“…Panettieri et al (2022) identified either greater or no differences of DHA in plots treated with AC according to the sampling time and the β-glu activity also remained unaltered after the organic amendment. Likewise, Peña et al (2022) identified a seasonal response of the DH, β-glu and urease activities after the compost addition whereas Ciadamidaro et al (2016) only observed a response of DHA depending on the sampling area and no response for the β-glu activity.…”