Increasing water productivity in crop production—A synthesis |
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Authors: | M.H. Ali M.S.U. Talukder |
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Affiliation: | a Agricultural Engineering Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, P.O. Box-04, Mymensingh 2200, Bangladesh b Department of Irrigation and Water Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh |
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Abstract: | Scarcity of water resources and growing competition for water in many sectors reduce its availability for irrigation. Effective management of water for crop production in water scarce areas requires efficient approaches. Increasing crop water productivity (WP) and drought tolerance by genetic improvement and physiological regulation may be the means to achieve efficient and effective use of water. But only high water productivity values carry little or no interest if they are not associated with high or acceptable yields. Such association of high (or moderate) productivity values with high (or moderate) yields has important implications on the effective use of water. In this paper we discussed the factors affecting water productivity, and the possible techniques to improve water productivity. A single approach would not be able to tackle the forthcoming challenge of producing more food and fiber with limited or even reduced available water. Combining biological water-saving measures with engineering solutions (water saving irrigation method, deficit irrigation, proper deficit sequencing, modernization of irrigation system, etc.), and agronomic and soil manipulation (seed priming, seedling age manipulation, direct- or wet-seeded rice, proper crop choice, integrating agriculture and aquaculture, increasing soil fertility, addition of organic matter, tillage and soil mulching, etc.) may solve the problem to a certain extent. New scientific information is needed to improve the economic gains of WP because the future improvements in WP seem to be limited by economic rather than a lack of technological means. |
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Keywords: | Water scarcity Deficit sequencing Assimilate partitioning Seed priming Seedling age manipulation Water productivity Crop production |
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