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Strategies to Mitigate Methane Emissions and Improve Irrigation Efficiency in a Rice-Soybean Rotation
Agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rice cultivation has a higher global warming potential (GWP) than most other cereal crops, largely due to the methane (CH4) emissions associated with continuous flooding. To address these concerns, research has focused on non-continuous flooding strategies (row irrigated rice; recirculating irrigation pump system; mid-season drainage; aerobic rice; furrow-rice) in an effort to mitigate CH4 emissions and reduce water use.
Four independent experiments were conducted to determine the difference in freshwater demand for irrigation between 1) continuously (Flood) and intermittently (Intermittent) flooded rice production systems in Mississippi; 2) intermittently flooded and furrow-irrigated (Furrow) rice production systems in Arkansas; 3) intermittently flooded and furrow-irrigated rice production systems in Mississippi; and 4) furrow-irrigated versus a furrow-irrigated system that recirculated captured tailwater (Recirculating).
This study aims to: collect water level information, crop and irrigation management, green house gas emissions, and runoff water quality at the field scale in rice/soybean rotation in northeastern Arkansas using commercially available equipment and tools.
Active
Insight
Engagement Targets
Notes: (1) Minor fluctuations in the number of retained growers is expected from year to year. These fluctuations may be due to year-over-year crop rotation effects or other factors beyond the control of the project. Enrolled acres represent the total number of acres on an individual farm in a specific year. The ability to report enrolled acres is based on the Fieldprint Project Standard requirement that individual growers enrolled in projects enter at least 10% of the acres managed for a specific crop. (2) Entered acres represent the actual number of enrolled acres for which data is entered in the Fieldprint Platform for analysis.
Objectives
Emission Reductions
Our team hopes to see a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2026.
For the 2024 season, the same variety of semi-dwarf rice was grown on all three fields. Based on reports from the Fieldprint Calculator and data from the farmer, the fields which included aerations during the growing season (fields 15 and 17S) saw a decrease in both greenhouse gas emissions (over 75% reduction) and irrigation water use (between 11% and 22% reduction) compared to the continuously flooded system (17N). All three fields had similar yields. Additionally, all fields showed relatively sustainable metrics when compared to both national and state-level benchmarks for biodiversity, land and energy use, and soils.
Irrigation Water Reduction
The new goal (2025) is to reduce irrigation water use in soybeans for the 2025 growing season by at least 10% by using the recirculating tailwater recovery system.
Participants
Project Lead Organization
USDA Agricultural Research ServiceFull
University of ArkansasFull
Mississippi State University, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & AquacultureFull
Project Partner
Arkansas State UniversityNon-Member
Project Details
Status
Active
Pathway
Insight
Primary Crops
Rice
Soybeans
Natural Resource Concern
Counties the project is located in: