Background/Objectives
Agriculture is the primary consumer of freshwater resources, accounting for about 70% of freshwater withdrawals globally. Methods to utilize irrigation water more efficiently, particularly for production of water intensive crops like rice, are essential for agricultural sustainability. Rice is among the most important global staple crop and thus plays a significant role in ensuring food security. The US is the fifth largest exporter of rice worldwide, but predominantly uses continuous flood irrigation. Compounding this concern is that water demand for rice production will likely increase due to elevated air temperatures and CO2 concentrations, and variability in timing and amount of precipitation will also increase.
Approach/Activities
The purpose of this study was to simulate various water management techniques in multiple rice production locations in the US, and their effects on crop water use efficiency and production using an improved mechanistic rice crop model called ORYZA. As input, we use bias-adjusted data from CMIP6 along with two of the most recent emission scenarios (SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5) until the year 2100.
Results/Lessons Learned
Results from this study will evaluate spatial response of rice production to different water management methods in the US and provide information regarding the sustainability of blue water use in rice production in the United States.