Impact of irrigation techniques on rice yield and dynamics of zinc in plants and soil

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) insufficiency and water deficiency are primary challenges in intensive rice production systems. This study aims to examine the influence of two irrigation regimes, flood irrigation (FI) and water-saving irrigation (WSI), on rice grain yield and mobile Zn accumulation in soil and rice grains. Experiments were conducted in An Vien rice fields in the Tien Lu district, Hung Yen province, located in the middle of the Red River delta during four rice seasons from 2015 to 2016. The results showed that the WSI regime dramatically increased the grain yield and Zn concentrations in grain of rice. Grain yield was increased by 14.76% and grain Zn concentration by 17.93% when compared with the FI regime. The decrease in the mobile Zn concentration in soil was only 5.7% in the WSI technique, compared with 73.6% for FI techniques. Therefore, it can be concluded that WSI can be effective agricultural practice to elevate grain yield and increase Zn retention in soil and bioavailability in rice grains.

Keywords

• water-saving irrigation
• flooding irrigation
• zinc uptake
• rice yield
• sustainable agricultural production