With the use of drip irrigation, one of the pressurized irrigation methods in paddy production, savings were achieved in water consumption, and it became possible to grow the product in areas where the topography is uneven.
According to the information received by the AA correspondent from the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), paddy/rice can be grown in all regions in Turkey where irrigation water is available, while rice is grown more extensively in 35 provinces.
In recent years, Trakya-Marmara and the Black Sea have come to the fore as important paddy cultivation areas. These are followed by the Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions. In 2019, around 1 million tons of paddy was produced on approximately 1 million 264 thousand decares.
The most important limiting factor in paddy farming is the supply and management of irrigation water.
Intense water demand and mistakes made in application result in excessive water use per unit area. Water consumption in paddy production in Turkey is much higher than the estimated amount due to losses.
It is estimated that 1000-1200 liters of water is sufficient for 1 kilogram of product in paddy production, but this amount reaches 4 thousand-5 thousand liters in practice. Due to the lack of water and energy problems in paddy production, production areas are shrinking.
Project of Investigation of Use of Drip Irrigation Systems in Paddy
TAGEM General Manager Nevzat Birisik said that they have concluded the Project of Investigation of the Usage Opportunities of Drip Irrigation Systems in Paddy in order to minimize the amount of water used in paddy production areas.
Stating that the project aims to increase the yield and reduce the amount of irrigation water used in paddy cultivation, Birisik said that in addition to the pan irrigation method applied by the farmers in paddy production, surface and subsurface drip irrigation methods, which are pressurized irrigation methods, are compared.
Birisik underlined that the irrigation method and irrigation program that will provide maximum benefit has been determined by using the data to be obtained from the project outputs, and said:
“According to the two-year average results of the study, it was observed that the use of drip irrigation method in the Trakya Region resulted in 70% water savings in 750 kilograms, despite a 20% decrease in yield compared to the pan irrigation method. In the Black Sea Region, 70% water savings were achieved despite a 6.6% decrease in efficiency, 37% water savings despite a 15% decrease in efficiency in the Aegean Region, and 50% water savings despite a 14.6% decrease in efficiency in the Mediterranean Region. As a result of the economic analysis, the profit rate obtained by using the drip irrigation method was higher in all four regions compared to the pan irrigation method. In addition to the amount of water saved in paddy production with pressurized irrigation systems, savings in irrigation and fertilization labor were also achieved.”
Pointing out that the rice plant cannot be produced in every area depending on the water resources, Birisik made the following assessment:
“With the use of drip irrigation systems, rice plants can be grown in areas with insufficient water supply and uneven topography. In paddy production, while production areas and total production amount remain limited depending on water resources, it will be possible to increase supply and decrease imports by producing with less water, according to the project indicators. Thanks to the irrigation programs that will be prepared with water-saving irrigation methods in paddy irrigation for the producers, the water and soil resources in the relevant region will be protected. With the water to be saved, more areas will be irrigated and productivity will be increased.”
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz