Proposal of new return flow analysis by replacement-in-order method for paddy irrigation water

Return flow and repeated use of irrigation water for paddies is the most important issue in the Asian monsoon region, because sometimes this water is applied in greater quantity than that of evapotranspiration plus percolation. A new return flow analysis, the “replacement-in-order method”, which introduces a unique numbering system for very complicated irrigation and drainage networks, is proposed for the main canal with the dual purposes of irrigation and drainage. The method is applied to the Shichika irrigation district in the ordinal (season) irrigation period, resulting in a return flow ratio of 45 % for the entire area. Of this amount, 25 % is available for irrigation again. The remaining 20 % is unavailable, because the return flow discharged directly into a canal lacking a diversion weir in the drainage system, or into the Japan Sea. The return flow ratio is very different at the main canal location, from no return flow to 88 %. With the aid of the above method, theoretical analysis of return flow for paddy irrigation water can be done. This includes the deterministic return flow ratio inside and outside the irrigation area, plus precise information of return flow ratios at various main canal locations and routes of irrigation and drainage water.     

Water and nitrogen limitations in soybean grain production II. Field and model analyses

A short-season and a long-season soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) cultivar were grown on two different soil types under both irrigated and water-limited conditions in a semi-arid tropical environment. In addition to differences in water holding capacity, the clay soil had less available soil nitrogen than the sandy loam soil. The experimental water regimes coupled with the differing soil types gave a wide range in yield response. A model analysis was done to simulate the crop growth to identify those factors that limited yield. Under irrigated conditions, the yields of crops grown on the clay soil were found in the model to be especially limited by low amounts of available soil nitrogen. With weekly irrigation of the sandy loam soil, the long-season cultivar in the simulation experienced brief episodes of water shortage which reduced the nitrogen fixation rate. An optimal irrigation schedule was simulated based on soil water depletion, which improved yield and saved water compared to the simulated weekly schedule. Terminal water deficits reduced yields more for the long-season cultivar both experimentally and in the simulations, as the short-season cultivar initiated seed growth earlier and produced greater seed mass before water shortage terminated crop growth.A model analysis of the water limitations showed that water deficits at the beginning of seed fill had the greatest effect on yields. Greater soil water storage as simulated by greater depth of water extraction resulted in increased yields. Increased nitrogen supply to the crop simulated by either greater soil nitrogen availability or increased nitrogen fixation rates resulted in substantial yield increases.     

Analysis of return flows in a tank cascade system in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, irrigation reservoirs (tanks) are usually connected sequentially and form cascades along the landscape. A study was carried out in the Anuradhapura District in the dry zone of Sri Lanka to understand the role of return flows in such tank cascade systems. The water balance of a tank cascade system was estimated using hydrological data collected over a one-year period. The system was extended about 25 km along a river composed of three small reservoirs having the command area of 31, 55, and 55 ha, respectively. In this system, about 46% of seepage water from tanks entered the paddy fields of the command area. The crop consumed part of the water and the rest returned to the downstream tank through the drainage canals. Percolation loss in the command areas was low (3.6 mm/day) since a considerable portion of the percolation returned to the downstream tank. These results showed that return flows, which are generally disregarded in the water budget, contributed considerably to the water supply of the tank cascade system.     

Modeling paddy field subsurface drainage using HYDRUS-2D

All of steady and non-steady subsurface drainage equations were developed mostly based on water flow pattern in an ordinary field conditions. However, subsurface drainage in a paddy field is quite different from subsurface drainage in an ordinary field. Thus, it is necessary to develop new equations and mathematical models to design subsurface drainage system in a paddy field. The objective of this study was to apply the HYDRUS-2D model, based on the Richard’s equation, to simulate water flow under subsurface drainage in a paddy field for various drain depths (0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 m) and spacings (7.5 and 15.0 m), surface soil textures (clay loam and silty clay loam) and crack conditions. Simulation results were compared with two well-known drainage equations. The maximum drainage rate was obtained under 7.5-m spacings and 1-m depth. With increasing drain spacings, the drainage rate decreased. Drain spacings had more effect on drainage rate and water pressure head as compared to drain depth. Drainage rates calculated by the Hooghoudt’s and Murashima and Ogino’s equations were much lower than those calculated by the Richard’s equation. The Hooghoudt’s equation, developed for ordinary fields, did not perform well for paddy fields. This study also proved the importance of cracks in subsurface drainage system of paddy fields. HYDRUS-2D stands as a robust tool for designing subsurface drainage in a paddy field.     

Modelling of groundwater recharge potential from irrigated paddy field under changing climate

Groundwater recharge from irrigated paddy field under various projected climate change scenarios was assessed using HYDRUS-1D model. Recharge flux, root water uptake, evaporation and surface runoff were simulated on daily time step for the growing period of paddy. Crop evapotranspiration and effective rainfall during the simulation period were estimated to be 301.9 and 269.4 mm, respectively. Cumulative bottom flux, root water uptake, evaporation and surface runoff were 69.2, 23.2, 30.8 and 0.0 cm for sandy loam and 37.2, 23.0, 30.8 and 0.7 cm for clay loam soils, respectively. Simulation results showed that the groundwater recharge potentials in sandy loam and clay loam soils with paddy crop are 69.2 and 37.2 cm, respectively. Cumulative recharge under various climate change scenarios from paddy field varied from 63.9 to 74.4 cm, 33.7 to 39.8 cm, 29.3 to 35.4 cm and 27.1 to 34.3 cm from land units A1 (sandy loam), B1 (clay loam with slight salinity), C1 (clay loam with moderate saline and slight sodic) and D1 (clay loam with strong saline and sodic), respectively. Cumulative recharge flux under the scenarios in which increase in relative humidity along with decrease in duration of sunshine hours was associated with rise in average temperature and wind speed, groundwater recharge would increase by 7.4 %. Cumulative recharge flux under the scenarios which were based on rise in temperature along with the increase in rainfall, groundwater recharge would increase by 0.2–3.9 %. Simulation results also showed that cumulative recharge would decrease under all those scenarios, which were based on rise in temperature only.     

Application of system dynamics approach for time varying water balance in aerobic paddy fields

Increasing water scarcity has necessitated the development of irrigated rice systems that require less water than the traditional flooded rice. The cultivation of aerobic rice is an effort to save water in response to growing worldwide water scarcity with the pressure to reduce water use and increase water productivity. An accurate estimation of different water balance components at the aerobic rice fields is essential to achieve effective use of limited water supplies. Some field water balance components, such as percolation, capillary rise and evapotranspiration, can not be easily measured; therefore a soil water balance model is required to develop and to test water management strategies. This paper presents results of a study to quantify time varying water balance under a critical soil water tension based irrigation criteria for the cultivation of non-ponded “aerobic rice” fields along the lower parts of the Yellow River. Based on the analysis and integration of existing field information on the hydrologic processes in an aerobic rice field, this paper outlines the general components of the water balance using a conceptual model approach. The time varying water balance is then analyzed using the feedback relations among the hydrologic processes in a commercial dynamic modeling environment, Vensim. The model simulates various water balance components such as actual evapotranspiration, deep percolation, surface runoff, and capillary rise in the aerobic rice field on a daily basis. The model parameters are validated with the observed experimental field data from the Huibei Irrigation Experiment Station, Kaifeng, China. The validated model is used to analyze irrigation application soil water tension trigger under wet, dry and average climate conditions using daily time steps. The scenario analysis show that to conserve scarce water resources during the average climate years the irrigation scheduling criteria can be set as −30 kPa average root zone soil water tension; whereas it can be set at −70 kPa during the dry years, however, the associated yields may reduce. Compared with the flooded lowland rice and other upland crops, with these two alternatives irrigation event triggers, aerobic rice cultivation can lead to significant water savings.     

Development of a user friendly water balance model for paddy

A water balance model for paddy is developed primarily based on the principle of conservation of mass of soil–water within the root zone. The water balance for paddy is different from that of field crops because paddy requires standing water in the field during most of its growth period. This model requires soil, crop and meteorological data as inputs. This user friendly model was developed using computer programmes C and Visual Basic (VB) 6.0. It simulates various water balance components such as evapotranspiration, deep percolation, surface runoff and depth of irrigation water and ponding depth in the field on a daily basis. For estimation of deep percolation loss, physically based saturated and unsaturated flow processes are incorporated into the model to consider ponding (if there is standing water in the field), saturation (if moisture content of soil is in between field capacity and saturation) and depletion (if moisture content of soil is below field capacity) phases of paddy field. This article presents development of a user friendly water balance model for paddy and also its validation using published data.     

Integrated assessment of cropping systems in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic plain

Both intensification and diversification of cropping systems may allow improving the productivity and sustainability of agricultural production in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), but the choices to be made require integrated assessment of various cropping systems. A field experiment was conducted from 1999 to 2002 on a sandy clay loam (Inceptisol) to evaluate nine predominant cropping systems in West Bengal, India. Productivity, energy use efficiency, and nutrient uptake generally increased with increasing cropping intensity. Positive residual effects of potato and jute on yield and energy output of subsequently grown crops were observed as well as maintenance or improvement of soil properties such as soil organic matter, available P, and available K. The P balance was positive for most systems, except for jute-containing systems. However, negative K balances occurred due to almost complete removal of crop biomass in all systems, suggesting that recommended rates of applied K fertilizer were to low for sustaining soil K supply over the longer term. Cropping systems containing potato had the highest levels of yield, net return, benefit to cost ratio and energy productivity, but energy use efficiency was reduced due to higher energy consumption in these systems. Jute–wheat and jute–rapeseed–rice systems showed high energy use efficiency along with moderate cost and return. Based on economic considerations alone, jute–potato–rice, rice–potato–rice and rice–potato–sesame can be recommended as cropping systems for resource-rich growers in the eastern part of the IGP. Systems such as jute–wheat, rice–wheat and jute–rapeseed–rice appear to be most suitable for small and marginal farmers that cannot afford the large production costs associated with crops such as potato.     

Effect of water management on dry seeded and puddled transplanted rice. Part 1: Crop performance

An alarming rate of ground water depletion and increasing labour scarcity are major threats to future rice production in north west India. Management strategies that reduce the irrigation amount and labour requirement while maintaining or increasing yield are urgently needed. Dry seeded rice (DSR) has been proposed as one means of achieving these objectives, but little is known about optimal water management for DSR. Therefore a field study was conducted on a clay loam soil in Punjab, India, during 2008 and 2009, to investigate the effects of irrigation management on the performance of puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and dry seeded rice. Irrigation scheduling treatments were based on soil water tension (SWT) ranging from ponding/saturation (daily irrigation) to alternate wetting and drying (AWD) with irrigation thresholds of 20, 40 and 70 kPa at 18–20 cm soil depth. Rainfall was above average and well distributed in 2008 (822 mm), and average and less well distributed in 2009 (663 mm).     

Evaluation of irrigation water requirements and crop yields with different irrigation schedules for paddy fields in ChiaNan irrigated area,Taiwan

Recent water shortages in reservoirs have caused such problems as insufficient water and fallow rice fields in Southern Taiwan; therefore, comparing irrigation water requirements and crop production of paddy fields using a technique that differs from the conventional flood irrigation method is important. Field experiments for the second paddy field with four irrigation schedules and two repeated treatments were conducted at the HsuehChia Experiment Station, ChiaNan Irrigation Association, Taiwan. Experimental results demonstrate that irrigation water requirements for the comparison method, and 7-, 10- and 15-day irrigation schedules were 1248, 993, 848, and 718 mm, respectively. Compared to the conventional method of flooding fields at a 7-day interval, the 10- and 15-day irrigation schedules reduced water requirements by 14.6 and 27.3 %, respectively; however, crop yields decreased by 7 and 15 %, respectively. Based on the results, it was recommended that the ChaiNan Irrigation Association could adopt 10 days irrigation schedule and plant drought-enduring paddy to save irrigation water requirements for the water resource scarcity in southern Taiwan. The CROPWAT model was utilized to simulate the on-farm water balance with a 10-day irrigation schedule for the second paddy field. A comparison of net irrigation water requirements with the 10-day irrigation schedule from model and field experiment were 818 and 848 mm, respectively, and the error was 3.54 %.     

Effect of daily irrigation rate and soil texture on yield and quality of Russet Burbank potatoes

Adequate soil water is needed for satisfactory yield and quality of potato tubers. With sprinkler irrigation systems it is common practice to apply more water than the crop uses in order to maintain high soil water levels. A study was initiated to evaluate the response of Russet Burbank potatoes to a wide range of daily sprinkler irrigation rates when grown on two soilsa loam and a sand—differing in water holding capacity. The results from the two soils were very different. On the loam soil, yields generally increased with increased applications of water, up to the equivalent of 40 to 50% estimated Et. Irrigation treatment effect on percent No. 1 tubers was inconclusive. In 1978, percent No. 1 tubers increased with water applied up to about 70% estimated Et. In 1980, irrigation rates between the equivalent of about 20 and 80% estimated Et had little effect on tuber grade. Yields and percent No. 1 tubers were depressed at irrigation rates greater than about 80% estimated Et. On the sand, yields and percent No. 1 tubers increased with increased irrigation rates up to about 100% and 80% estimated Et, respectively. Tuber specific gravity was not affected to an important degree by irrigation treatment on either soil. These results indicate that a good crop of potatoes can be grown on a loam soil at daily irrigation rates considerably less than estimated Et rates, while such reductions will decrease yields and grade on a sandy soil.     

Numerical simulation on effect of irrigation conditions on water temperature distribution in a paddy field

Water management methods regulate water temperature in paddy fields, which affects rice growth and the environment. To understand the effect of irrigation conditions on water temperature in a paddy field, water temperature distribution under 42 different irrigation models including the use of ICT water management, which enables remote and automatic irrigation, was simulated using a physical model of heat balance. The following results were obtained: (1) Irrigation water temperature had a more significant effect on paddy water temperature close to the inlet. As the distance from the inlet increased, the water temperature converged to an equilibrium, which was determined by meteorological conditions and changes in water depth. (2) Increasing the irrigation rate with higher irrigation water amount increased the extent and magnitude of the effects of the irrigation water temperature. (3) When total irrigation water amount was the same, increasing the irrigation rate decreased the time-averaged temperature gradient effect over time across the paddy field. (4) Irrigation during the lowest and highest paddy water temperatures effectively decreased and increased the equilibrium water temperature, respectively. The results indicate that irrigation management can be used to alter and control water temperature in paddy fields, and showed the potential of ICT water management in enhancing the effect of water management in paddy fields. Our results demonstrated that a numerical simulation using a physical model for water temperature distribution is useful for revealing effective water management techniques under various irrigation methods and meteorological conditions.

     

土壤质地对玉米生育后期叶片衰老的影响

采用池栽方法探讨了砂壤、轻壤、中壤、粘壤4种土壤质地对玉米生育后期叶片衰老的影响。结果表明,玉米生育后期叶片不断衰老,SOD酶活性和叶面积下降,MDA含量逐渐上升。4种质地土壤玉米的叶片衰老表现不同,中壤玉米叶面积和SOD酶活性最高,砂壤则最小;MDA含量砂壤最大,中壤最小。在相同管理条件下,4种质地土壤的玉米产量表现出显著差异。     

Variations in responses of potato germplasm to deficit irrigation as affected by soil texture

The response to irrigation of three parental potato cultivars was studied on loam and sandy soils by use of the line source sprinkler technique, which provided a continuous irrigation variable from 0 to 100% or more replacement of estimated evapotranspiration (Et). Solid-set sprinkler irrigation from planting until near full ground cover provided optimal early plant growth and a soil profile filled with water when the irrigation variable was started in July. On the loam soil this residual soil water provided most of the water needs of the three cultivars over a 10–12 week period until harvest. On this soil, irrigation levels providing replacement above 20 to 40% Et had little beneficial effect. In fact, higher irrigation levels had serious deleterious effects, especially on grade and solids of Nooksack. On the loam soil, Nooksack performed best in every regard at deficit irrigation levels below 50% Et. In contrast, on this loam soil, differing irrigation levels had very little effect on the productivity of Lemhi. The response of all cultivars on sandy soil was much different than on loam soil. On sand, total and U.S. No. 1 yield of all cultivars increased greatly as irrigation levels increased, up to 70 to 80% Et. Levels above this had minimal effect. Nooksack again performed better than the other two cultivars under deficit irrigation. The results of these and other studies show there is potential for identifying or developing potato cultivars which are more efficient users of irrigation water.     

Effect of N-fertilizer application on return flow water quality from a terraced paddy field in Northern Taiwan

Intensive use of chemical fertilizer for crops may be responsible for nitrogen and phosphate accumulation in both groundwater and surface waters. The return flow polluted by nutrients not only results in the limitation of water reuse goals but also creates many environmental problems, including algal blooms and eutrophication in neighboring water bodies, posing potential hazards to human health. This study is to evaluate the N-fertilizer application of terraced paddy fields impacting return flow water quality. Water quality monitoring continued for two crop-periods around subject to different water bodies, including the irrigation water, drainage water at the outlet of experimental terraced paddy field, and shallow groundwater were conducted in an experimental paddy field located at Hsin-chu County, Northern Taiwan. The analyzed results indicate that obviously increasing of ammonium-N (NH₄ ⁺-N) and nitrate-N (NO₃ ^?-N) concentrations in the surface drainage water and ground water just occurred during the stage of basal fertilizer application, and then reduced to relatively low concentrations (<0.1 mg/l and <3 mg/l, respectively) in the remaining period of cultivation. The experimental results demonstrate the potential pollution load of nitrogen can be reduced by proper drainage water control and fertilizer application practices.     

Effect of soil salinity on the wheat and bean root respiration rate at low matric suctions

Water logging and salinity often occur together because rising water table brings salt to the surface. We studied the effects of a range of low soil matric suctions (or nearly paddy condition) (2–33 kPa) and salinity (EC = 0.7–8 dS m^?1 for bean and 2–20 dS m^?1 for wheat) on the root respiration (Rr) in two sandy loam and clay loam soils at greenhouse condition. Results showed that the aeration porosity mainly controls Rr especially at 2 kPa matric suction. As matric suction increases, soil aeration rises and consequently the Rr reaches maximum values (7.9 μmol m^?3 s^?1 for bean and wheat) at 6 and 10 kPa suctions in clay loam and sandy loam soils, respectively. Using a mechanistic soil respiration model reveals that these matric suctions, h, are corresponded to the aeration porosities of 0.18 m³ m^?3 in sandy loam and 0.16 m³ m^?3 in clay loam soils. Bean and wheat Rr remains nearly constant at higher suctions (h > 10 kPa) in sandy loam and decreases slightly in clay loam soil. Gas diffusivity and the root surface area may explain the variation of the Rr between the sandy loam and the clay loam soils. Results showed that the salinity (EC = 6–8 dS m^?1 for bean and EC = 16–20 dS m^?1 for wheat) amplifies the effect of aeration stress at 2 kPa matric suction in both soils. We also observed a strong correlation between root surface area, Rs, and the Rr for all experiments. We concluded that the aeration deficit is not only major factor determining differential plant respiration under adverse stress conditions, and the salinity has a pronounced impact on differences in crop physiological responses.     

Use of pulse trickles to reduce clogging problems in trickle irrigation system in Saudi Arabia

Laboratory experiments were conducted at the Agricultural and Veterinary Training and Research Station, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to study the effect of pulse irrigation from a line source on sandy soil uniformly packed in soil tank using high flow rates. It was found that the increase in pulsed flows up to six times to that of the equivalent continuous flow can be used with little change to the soil wetting pattern. The water deep percolation reduced and horizontal spread increased with an increase in the pulsed flow up to twelve times to that of continuous flow (control treatment). A strong correlation was obtained between the water application rates and the vertical and horizontal advances which could be expressed as power function. The results showed an excellent potential to increase the emitter sizes up to 2.4-3.5 times and the emitter cross section area up to 6.0-12.0 times than the normal size for reducing the trickle clogging problem. Empirical analysis of the vertical and horizontal advance shows that both of these parameters can be expressed as a power function.     

不同土壤背景下秸秆全量还田对水稻产量及稻米品质的影响

为了探明北方地区不同土壤背景下水稻秸秆全量还田对水稻产量及稻米品质的影响,以辽粳2501为材料,通过盆栽试验,比较分析了在总施纯氮200 kg/hm²条件下不同处理（砂壤土、砂壤土+秸秆、盐碱土、盐碱土+秸秆、棕壤黏土、棕壤黏土+秸秆）辽粳2501的产量结构和品质表现。结果表明,与秸秆不还田处理相比,棕壤黏土背景下秸秆全量还田处理产量提高4.45%,而在砂壤土和盐碱土背景下秸秆全量还田处理表现为显著减产,减产幅度分别为2.20%和3.84%;秸秆全量还田均能显著提高不同土壤背景下的每穗颖花数,尤其是二次枝梗颖花数,但降低了盐碱土和砂壤土背景下的有效穗数;秸秆全量还田显著增加了稻米胶稠度和米饭食味值,但降低了盐碱土和砂壤土背景下稻米的垩白粒率和垩白度。     

滴灌条件下不同土壤质地对水稻苗期根系生长和分布的影响

【目的】研究滴灌条件下不同土壤质地对水稻苗期根系生长和分布的影响,揭示土壤质地对滴灌水稻苗期生长的重要作用,阐明滴灌水稻苗期生长发育机理。【方法】在石河子大学试验场采用盆栽土柱试验,设置重壤土、轻壤土、砂土共3个处理,每个处理重复3次,在播后10、20、30、40 d取样,对比不同处理出苗率、根系形态、生物量、根系活力、根系分布等指标,分析不同土壤条件对滴灌水稻苗期根系生长及分布的影响。【结果】砂土平均出苗率比重壤土、轻壤土分别高15.21和4.6个百分点;计算各项指标40 d平均值可知,重壤土处理根数比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高26.73%和15.67%;重壤土处理平均根长比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高4.52%和13.92%;重壤土处理根系体积比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高18.53%和43.15%;砂土处理最长根长比重壤土、轻壤土处理分别高38.44%和12.69%;重壤土处理总生物量比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高19.76%和41.48%。重壤土处理根系生物量比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高14.98%和35.83%。苗期根系活力表现为重壤土>轻壤土>砂土,重壤土处理40 d内平均根系活力比轻壤土、砂土处理分别高3.54%和13.91%;滴灌水稻苗期根系分布情况表现为前期水稻根系集中在0-5 cm土层中,后期根系开始逐渐分布于0-20 cm土层。【结论】不同的土壤质地对滴灌水稻出苗率、根系形态、生物量、根系活力和根系分布影响显著。因此,滴灌水稻的种植推广过程中,不同土壤质地应采取不同的播种量和相应的栽培措施,才能达到滴灌水稻的优质、高产和高效的目标。     

A water balance model for characterization of length of growing period and water stress development for rainfed lowland rice

There is large year-to-year variation in rice production across the Mekong region (Laos, Cambodia and Thailand) due to uncertainty in the timing of the onset of the wet season and drought stress that may develop at any time during the growth of rainfed lowland rice. Unique to the nature of lowland water balance is a large component of deep percolation water loss, which depends on soil texture. The objectives of this study were to develop a soil water balance model for calculating the amount of water held in field storage (i.e. in soil and, if there is standing water, above the soil surface) and to apply it to determine the length of growing period (LGP) and water stress development in relation to soil type and rainfall pattern for the rice ecosystem. The water balance is computed separately for above-ground plus topsoil layer and subsoil layer. Components of the water balance are the existing amount of stored water, rainfall, evapotranspiration, deep percolation, and runoff. The deep percolation rate was determined from clay content in each soil layer. The model runs with daily or weekly weather data to estimate the soil water level for the growing period in the wet season. The model was validated with data collected from top, middle and bottom of rainfed lowland fields in Savannakhet province, Laos. The best correlation between the observed and simulated water level was obtained (r² = 0.41) for middle fields. The simulation results showed that LGP varied greatly from year to year, particularly in locations with sandy soils, due mostly to variation in monthly rainfall occurring at the early part of the growing season (April), but also to some extent by variation at the end of growing season (October). Soil texture on the other hand is shown to have a large influence on the end of the rice growing period and hence LGP, and also water stress development during growth. Sandy soils with clay content less than 7% that are prevalent in the province are shown to cause frequent water stress and early finish in rainfed lowland rice. The model accordingly provides reasonable outputs that can provide a geographical dimension of soil hydrological patterns for various rice growing environments, and also identify the spatial pattern of drought stress that is likely to occur. Model outputs can be used to provide guidelines for practical advice to the rice farmers and researchers for determination of appropriate crop management strategies (e.g. time of planting, varieties), and policy makers for investment decisions on inputs (e.g. fertilizer price) aimed at increasing rice productivity in this Mekong region.