Synergistic impact of agro-ecological water and nutrient management practices on rice yield and water use efficiency in inland valleys
(2025) Irrigation Science — Vol. 44, n° 1 (2025)
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- This study evaluates the effects of irrigation and agro-ecological nutrient management practices on rice yield and water use efficiency (WUE) over two cropping seasons (2022 and 2023) in southwestern Benin. Field experiments were conducted at two contrasted sites, Matekpo (in-season) and Sewahoue (off season), using a split-split-plot design with three replications. Treatments included four irrigation regimes Continuous Flooding (CF), Soil Saturation (SS), moderate Alternate Wetting and Drying (– 15 kPa, AWD15), and severe (-30 kPa, AWD30) and eight nutrient treatments: Control (C), recommended Mineral (M), Mineral Micro-dosing (MM), Compost (CO), Rice Straw (RS), Biochar plus Compost (BCO), Rice Straw plus Compost (RSCO), and Mucuna biomass (BM). Daily water dynamics were monitored throughout the production cycle, and grain yield was measured at maturity. Linear models in R 4.4.2 were used for data analysis. Results showed that AWD15 significantly reduced water inputs by 30–70% while maintaining comparable yields to CF, especially when combined with organic amendments (compost and biochar). In-season rice yield (3.3 t/ha) was slightly higher than off-season (3.1 t/ha), with greater WUE observed during the in-season (1.16 kg/m³ vs. 0.87 kg/m³). Mineral fertilizers performed best under CF, whereas organic amendments were more effective under AWD. The highest WUE was recorded under AWD30 and AWD15, particularly when integrated with organic nutrient sources. These findings highlight the potential of AWD, combined with agro-ecological nutrient management strategies, to improve rice productivity and water efficiency in lowland systems, supporting sustainable intensification under variable climatic conditions.
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Sounon Orou, B. Z., Adjogboto, A., Tovihoudji, P., Zakari, S., Akponikpè, P. B. I., & Vanclooster, M. (2025). Synergistic impact of agro-ecological water and nutrient management practices on rice yield and water use efficiency in inland valleys. Irrigation Science, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01053-6 (Original work published 2025)