Yumin Huang

School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
Author    Correspondence author
Field Crop, 2024, Vol. 7, No. 4   
Received: 19 Jun., 2024    Accepted: 30 Jul., 2024    Published: 21 Aug., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Rice cultivation is a major consumer of water resources, and traditional continuous flooding (CF) methods contribute significantly to water scarcity and environmental degradation. This study explores the benefits of the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation technique as an innovative water management practice for rice cultivation. AWD has been shown to reduce water usage by 25-70% and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95%, while maintaining or even improving rice yields by 1-20% compared to CF. Additionally, AWD enhances water productivity, reduces the accumulation of harmful heavy metals in rice grains, and improves grain quality. Despite these advantages, the adoption of AWD faces challenges such as the need for precise water level control, institutional support, and farmer education. This study synthesizes findings from various studies to highlight the potential of AWD to contribute to sustainable rice production, mitigate climate change impacts, and support the livelihoods of rice farmers in water-scarce regions.

Rice cultivation; Alternate Wetting and Drying; Water management; Greenhouse gas emissions; Sustainable agriculture