Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Economic assessment of different mulches in conventional and water-saving rice production systems

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Water-saving rice production systems including alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and aerobic rice (AR) are being increasingly adopted by growers due to global water crises. Application of natural and artificial mulches may further improve water economy of water-saving rice production systems. Conventionally flooded rice (CFR) system has been rarely compared with AWD and AR in terms of economic returns. In this 2-year field study, we compared CFR with AWD and AR (with and without straw and plastic mulches) for the cost of production and economic benefits. Results indicated that CFR had a higher production cost than AWD and AR. However, application of mulches increased the cost of production of AWD and AR production systems where plastic mulch was expensive than straw mulch. Although the mulching increased the cost of production for AWD and AR, the gross income of these systems was also improved significantly. The gross income from mulched plots of AWD and AR was higher than non-mulched plots of the same systems. In conclusion, AWD and AR effectively reduce cost of production by economizing the water use. However, the use of natural and artificial mulches in such water-saving environments further increased the economic returns. The maximized economic returns by using straw mulch in water-saving rice production systems definitely have pragmatic implications for sustainable agriculture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abao EB Jr, Bronson KF, Wassmann R, Singh U (2000) Simultaneous records of methane and nitrous oxide emissions in rice-based cropping systems under rainfed conditions. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 58:131–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad MD, Turral H, Masih I, Giordano M, Masood Z (2007) Water saving technologies: myths and realities revealed in Pakistan’s rice-wheat systems. IWMI Research Report 108. International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • Bhushan L, Ladha JK, Gupta RK, Singh S, Tirol-Padre A, Saharawat Y, Gathala M, Pathak H (2007) Saving of water and labor in a rice-wheat system with no-tillage and direct seeding technologies. Agron J 99:1288–1296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouman BAM, Humphreys E, Tuong TP, Barker R (2007) Rice and water. Adv Agron 92:187–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouman BAM, Peng S, Castaneda AR, Visperas RM (2005) Yield and water use of irrigated tropical aerobic rice, systems. Agri Water Managet 74:87–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charalampopoulos D, Wang R, Pandiella S, Webb C (2002) Application of cereals and cereal components in functional foods: a review. Int J Food Microbiol 79:131–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Champagne ET, Wood DF, Juliano BO, Bechtel DB (2004) Rice: chemistry and technology (No. Ed. 3). American Association of Cereal Chemists. Inc., USA

  • CIMMYT (1988) From agronomic data to farmers recommendations. A Farmer’s Training Manual CIMMYT, Mexico, DF

    Google Scholar 

  • David M (2007) Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture. London: Earthscan: Colombo. IWMI

  • Eberbach P, Humphreys E, Kukal S (2011) The effect of rice straw mulch on evapotranspiration, transpiration and soil evaporation of irrigated wheat in Punjab, India. Agri Water Manage 98:1847–1855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esa N, Ling T, Peng L (2013) By-products of rice processing: an overview of health benefits and applications. J Rice Res 1:107. doi:10.4172/jrr.1000107

    Google Scholar 

  • Fahad S, Hussain S, Saud S, Tanveer M, Bajwa AA, Hassan S, Shah AN, Ullah A, Wu C, Khan FA, Shah F, Ullah S, Chen Y, Huang J (2015a) A biochar application protects rice pollen from high-temperature stress. Plant Physiol Biochem 96:281–287

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fahad S, Hussain S, Saud S, Khan F, Hassan S, Amanullah NW, Arif M, Wang F, Huang J (2015b) Exogenously applied plant growth regulators affect heat-stressed rice pollens. J Agron Crop Sci. doi:10.1111/jac.12148

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan M, Lu S, Jiang R, Six J, Zhang F (2012) Long-term non-flooded mulching cultivation influences rice productivity and soil organic carbon. Soil Use Manage 28:544–550

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer G, Tubiello FN, Van Velthuizen H, Wiberg DA (2007) Climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements: effects of mitigation, 1990–2080. Technol Forecast Soc Change 74:1083–1107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerten D, Heinke J, Hoff H, Biemans H, Fader M, Waha K (2011) Global water availability and requirements for future food production. J Hydrometeor 12:885–899

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill G, Humphreys E, Kukal S, Walia U (2011) Effect of water management on dry seeded and puddled transplanted rice. Part 1: crop performance. Field Crops Res 120:112–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.O.P. (2015) Pakistan Economic Survey—2014–15. Government of Pakistan. p.28. Available online: http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapters_15/02_Agricultre.pdf (accessed January 4, 2016)

  • Guerin TF (2001) Why sustainable innovations are not always adopted. Resour Conserv Recy 34:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanjra MA, Qureshi ME (2010) Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change. Food Policy 35:365–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (2000) IWMI global water scarcity study. International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Jabran K, Ullah E, Hussain M, Farooq M, Zaman U, Yaseen M, Chauhan BS (2015a) Mulching improves water productivity, yield and quality of fine rice under water‐saving rice production systems. J Agron Crop Sci doi:10.1111/jac.12099

  • Jabran K, Ullah E, Hussain M, Farooq M, Haider N, Chauhan BS (2015b) Water saving, water productivity and yield outputs of fine-grain rice cultivars under conventional and water-saving rice production systems. Exp Agri doi:10.1017/S0014479714000477

  • Kahlown MA, Raoof A, Zubair M, Kemper WD (2007) Water use efficiency and economic feasibility of growing rice and wheat with sprinkler irrigation in the Indus Basin of Pakistan. Agri Water Manage 87:292–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kongchum M, Wascom M, Reams M, Delaune RD (2011) Water conservation practices for improving water-use policy in irrigated rice. Arch Agron Soil Sci 57:261–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar V, Ladha JK (2011) Direct seeding of rice: recent developments and future research needs. Advan Agron 111:299–413

    Google Scholar 

  • Long JA, Lawrence RL, Miller PR, Marshall LA, Greenwood MC (2014) Adoption of cropping sequences in northeast Montana: a spatio-temporal analysis. Agri Ecosys Environ 197:77–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mukherji A, Facon T, De Fraiture C, Molden D, Chartres C (2012) Growing more food with less water: how can revitalizing Asia’s irrigation help? Water Policy 14:430–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pannell DJ (2006) Flat earth economics: the far-reaching consequences of flat payoff functions in economic decision making. Rev Agri Econ 28:553–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng S, Tang Q, Zou Y (2009) Current status and challenges of rice production in china. Plant Prod Sci 12:3–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockström J, Falkenmark M, Karlberg L, Hoff H, Rost S, Gerten D (2009) Future water availability for global food production: the potential of green water for increasing resilience to global change. Water Resource Res 45:W00A12. doi:10.1029/2007WR006767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saharawat YS, Singh B, Malik RK, Ladha JK, Gathala M, Jat ML, Kumar V (2010) Evaluation of alternative tillage and crop establishment methods in a rice-wheat rotation in North Western IGP. Field Crops Res 116:260–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sijapati S, Bhatti MT, Pradhan NS (2014) Climate change impact on water availability, and farmers’ adaptation strategies: case studies from Pakistan and Nepal. In: Vaidya RR, Sharma E (eds) Research insights on climate and water in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal, pp 109–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh A, Kumar R, Kang J (2014) Tillage system, crop residues and nitrogen to improve the productivity of direct seeded rice and transplanted rice. Curr Agri Res J 2:14–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh S, Sharma SN, Prasad R (2001) The effect of seeding and tillage methods on productivity of rice-wheat cropping system. Soil Tillage Res 61:125–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan X, Shao D, Liu H, Yang F, Xiao C, Yang H (2013) Effects of alternate wetting and drying irrigation on percolation and nitrogen leaching in paddy fields. Paddy Water Environ 11:381–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tao HB, Brueck H, Dittert K, Kreye C, Lin S, Sattelmacher B (2006) Growth and yield formation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the water-saving ground cover rice production system (GCRPS). Field Crop Res 95:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tao HB, Dittert K, Zhang L, Lin S, Römheld V, Sattelmacher B (2007) Effects of soil water content on growth, tillering, and manganese uptake of lowland rice grown in the water-saving ground-cover rice-production system (GCRPS). J Plant Nut Soil Sci 170:7–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thakur A, Rath S, Roychowdhury S, Uphoff N (2010) Comparative performance of rice with system of rice intensification (SRI) and conventional management using different plant spacings. J Agron Crop Sci 196:146–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Towa JJ’, Guo X, Zhen B (2013) Effects of water management and mulching on weed control and rice grain yield under water saving irrigation model. J Food Agri Environ 11:538–544

    Google Scholar 

  • Towprayoon S, Smakgahn K, Poonkaew S (2005) Mitigation of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from drained irrigated rice fields. Chemosphere 59:1547–1556

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tuong TP, Bouman BAM, Mortimer M (2005) More rice, less water-integrated approaches for increasing water productivity in irrigated rice-based systems in Asia. Plant Prod Sci 8:231–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wassmann R, Lantin RS, Neue HU, Buendia LV, Corton TM, Lu Y (2000) Characterization of methane emissions from rice fields in Asia. III. Mitigation options and future research needs. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 58:23–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao X, Boles S, Frolking S, Salas W, Moore B, Li C, He L, Zhao R (2002) Observation of flooding and rice transplanting of paddy rice fields at the site to landscape scales in China using vegetation sensor data. Int J Remote Sens 23:3009–3022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav S, Evangelista G, Faronilo, Humphreys E, Henry A, Fernandez L (2014) Establishment method effects on crop performance and water productivity of irrigated rice in the tropics. Field Crops Res 166:112–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Khawar Jabran & Muhammad Farooq

  2. Department of Plant Protection, Adnan Menderes University Aydin, Aydın, Turkey

    Khawar Jabran

  3. Department of Agronomy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Mubshar Hussain

  4. College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Shah Fahad

  5. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, 4350, QLD, Australia

    Ali Ahsan Bajwa

  6. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, 21589, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Hesham Alharrby

  7. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Vehari, 61100, Pakistan

    Wajid Nasim

  8. CIHEAM—Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (IAMM), 3191 route de Mende, 34090, Montpellier, France

    Wajid Nasim

  9. CSIRO Sustainable Agriculture, National Research Flagship, Toowoomba, Qld, 4350, Australia

    Wajid Nasim

Authors
  1. Khawar Jabran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mubshar Hussain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shah Fahad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Muhammad Farooq
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ali Ahsan Bajwa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hesham Alharrby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wajid Nasim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shah Fahad or Wajid Nasim.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jabran, K., Hussain, M., Fahad, S. et al. Economic assessment of different mulches in conventional and water-saving rice production systems. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 9156–9163 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6162-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6162-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation