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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177505
Title: FIELD STUDIES OF WATER REQUIREMENTS FOR RICE PRODUCTION AND THE EFFECT ON WATER QUALITY

Author
item Vories, Earl
item TACKER, PHIL - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item CHAUBEY, INDRAJEET - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Proceedings of the World Water and Environmental Resources Congress
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2005
Publication Date: 7/1/2005
Citation: Vories, E.D., Tacker, P.L., Chaubey, I. 2005. Field studies of water requirements for rice production and the effect on water quality. Proceedings of the World Water and Environmental Resources Congress. Available: http://ascelibrary.aip.org/getpdf/servlet/GetPDFServlet?filetype=pdf&id=ASCECP000173040792000531000001&idtype=cvips

Interpretive Summary: Water has been an abundant and relatively inexpensive input for agriculture in the lower Mississippi River valley. However, as groundwater levels decline, production practices must be developed and refined to conserve water in ways that aren't prohibitively expensive and don't worsen existing water quality problems. As part of a multidisciplinary project to develop an integrated water quality - water management program in the Arkansas Delta, rice fields in the L'Anguille River watershed in eastern Arkansas were equipped to monitor the inflow and outflow of water. The initial year of the study was used to test equipment and experimental procedures. Problems were encountered with both inflow and outflow measurements, and procedures were modified to address the problems. The study will expand to additional fields in 2005 and 2006. Implementation of the techniques studied in this research should result in the savings of billions of gallons of groundwater in areas where shortages are currently being encountered.

Technical Abstract: Water has been an abundant and relatively inexpensive input for agriculture in the lower Mississippi River valley. However, as groundwater levels decline in portions of the watershed, production practices that conserve water in ways that aren't prohibitively expensive and don't worsen existing water quality problems must be developed and refined. This report describes the on-farm methods employed to quantify the water budget and water quality for rice fields as one part of a multidisciplinary project to develop an integrated water quality - water management program in the Arkansas Delta. Two pairs of rice fields were selected in the L'Anguille River watershed in eastern Arkansas. One field from each pair was managed conventionally, while the other field employed multiple inlet rice irrigation as a water conservation treatment, with inflow and outflow monitored on both fields. The initial year of the study (2004) was used to test equipment and experimental procedures. Problems were encountered with both inflow (disagreement between analog and electronic measurements) and outflow (submergence of outflow weir, stage sensor and datalogger data loss) measurements. Procedures were modified to address the problems, primarily more frequent site visits, more rigorous data integrity checking, using existing flashboard risers to monitor outflow whenever possible, and ensuring that dataloggers are protected from moisture. The study will expand to additional fields in 2005 and 2006.