Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan

Excessive irrigation significantly reduces rice (Oryza sativa L.) water productivity in Pakistan. This study evaluated crop water requirements, irrigation trends and water productivity across Pakistan's rice-growing regions. Field data on crop yield, soil characteristics, irrigation practices and 10...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Akbar, G., Sadozai, N. L., Ashraf, Muhammad
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176070
_version_ 1855522639217426432
author Akbar, G.
Sadozai, N. L.
Ashraf, Muhammad
author_browse Akbar, G.
Ashraf, Muhammad
Sadozai, N. L.
author_facet Akbar, G.
Sadozai, N. L.
Ashraf, Muhammad
author_sort Akbar, G.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Excessive irrigation significantly reduces rice (Oryza sativa L.) water productivity in Pakistan. This study evaluated crop water requirements, irrigation trends and water productivity across Pakistan's rice-growing regions. Field data on crop yield, soil characteristics, irrigation practices and 10 years of weather data were collected from 11 districts across four provinces. The FAO AquaCrop model was used to assess crop water requirements (evapotranspiration, ET), the root zone water balance and water productivity. The crop water requirements ranged from 787 to 1151 mm, while irrigation consistently exceeded these needs by 95% to 123%. The irrigation water productivity (WPi) ranged from 0.09 to 0.19 kg/m3, and the evapotranspiration (ET) water productivity (WPet) ranged from 0.20 to 0.41 kg/m3. Excessive irrigation, 2 to 3 times the actual crop water needs, is attributed to traditional practices, a lack of knowledge and suboptimal irrigation schedules. Optimizing irrigation scheduling, adopting advanced technologies, and using high-yielding, drought-tolerant rice varieties could reduce water losses and improve crop yields. These findings offer actionable strategies to increase water productivity and ensure food security in Pakistan's rice-growing regions, with potential applications in other water-scarce, rice-producing countries facing similar challenges.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace176070
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Wiley
publisherStr Wiley
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1760702025-10-26T12:55:28Z Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan Akbar, G. Sadozai, N. L. Ashraf, Muhammad rice water productivity crop yield water requirements evapotranspiration Excessive irrigation significantly reduces rice (Oryza sativa L.) water productivity in Pakistan. This study evaluated crop water requirements, irrigation trends and water productivity across Pakistan's rice-growing regions. Field data on crop yield, soil characteristics, irrigation practices and 10 years of weather data were collected from 11 districts across four provinces. The FAO AquaCrop model was used to assess crop water requirements (evapotranspiration, ET), the root zone water balance and water productivity. The crop water requirements ranged from 787 to 1151 mm, while irrigation consistently exceeded these needs by 95% to 123%. The irrigation water productivity (WPi) ranged from 0.09 to 0.19 kg/m3, and the evapotranspiration (ET) water productivity (WPet) ranged from 0.20 to 0.41 kg/m3. Excessive irrigation, 2 to 3 times the actual crop water needs, is attributed to traditional practices, a lack of knowledge and suboptimal irrigation schedules. Optimizing irrigation scheduling, adopting advanced technologies, and using high-yielding, drought-tolerant rice varieties could reduce water losses and improve crop yields. These findings offer actionable strategies to increase water productivity and ensure food security in Pakistan's rice-growing regions, with potential applications in other water-scarce, rice-producing countries facing similar challenges. 2025-06 2025-08-12T09:35:47Z 2025-08-12T09:35:47Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176070 en Limited Access Wiley Akbar, G.; Sadozai, N. L.; Ashraf, M. 2025. Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan. Irrigation and Drainage, 1-10. (Online first). doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.70006
spellingShingle rice
water productivity
crop yield
water requirements
evapotranspiration
Akbar, G.
Sadozai, N. L.
Ashraf, Muhammad
Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title_full Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title_fullStr Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title_short Enhancing rice water productivity: insights from crop water needs and irrigation in Pakistan
title_sort enhancing rice water productivity insights from crop water needs and irrigation in pakistan
topic rice
water productivity
crop yield
water requirements
evapotranspiration
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176070
work_keys_str_mv AT akbarg enhancingricewaterproductivityinsightsfromcropwaterneedsandirrigationinpakistan
AT sadozainl enhancingricewaterproductivityinsightsfromcropwaterneedsandirrigationinpakistan
AT ashrafmuhammad enhancingricewaterproductivityinsightsfromcropwaterneedsandirrigationinpakistan