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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(10)

Effect of raised beds, irrigation and nitrogen management on growth, water use and yield of rice in south-eastern Australia

H. G. Beecher A B E , B. W. Dunn A B , J. A. Thompson B C , E. Humphreys B D , S. K. Mathews A and J. Timsina D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco Agricultural Institute, PMB Yanco, NSW 2703, Australia.

B Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice Production, c/- Yanco Agricultural Institute, PMB Yanco, NSW 2703, Australia.

C NSW Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 736, Deniliquin, NSW 2710, Australia.

D CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 3, Griffith, NSW 2680, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: geoff.beecher@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46(10) 1363-1372 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA04136
Submitted: 28 July 2004  Accepted: 22 July 2005   Published: 13 September 2006

Abstract

To remain economically and environmentally sustainable, Australian rice growers need to be able to readily respond to market opportunities and increase cropping system productivity and water productivity. Water availability is decreasing whereas its price is increasing. Alternative irrigation layouts and water management approaches could contribute to reduced water use and increased irrigation efficiency. This paper reports results for the first crop (rice) in a cropping system experiment to compare permanent raised bed and conventional layouts on a transitional red-brown earth at Coleambally, New South Wales. The performance of conventional ponded rice grown on a flat layout was compared with rice grown on 1.84-m wide, raised beds with furrow and subsurface drip irrigation. In addition, deep and shallow ponded water depth treatments (15 and 5 cm water depth over the beds) were imposed on the rice on beds during the reproductive period. A range of nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates (0–180 kg N/ha) was applied to all treatments. The traditional flat flooded treatment (Flat) achieved the highest grain yield of 12.7 t/ha, followed by the deep (Bed 15) and shallow (Bed 5) ponded beds (10.2 and 10.1 t/ha, respectively). The furrow (Furrow) irrigated bed treatment yielded 9.4 t/ha and the furrow/drip (Furr/Drip) treatment yielded the lowest grain yield (8.3 t/ha). Grain yield from all bed treatments was reduced owing to the wide furrows (0.8 m between edge rows on adjacent beds), which were not planted to rice. Rice crop water use was significantly different between the layout–irrigation treatments. The Flat, Bed 5 and Bed 15 treatments had similar input (irrigation + rainfall – surface drainage) water use (mean of 18.3 ML/ha). The water use for the Furrow treatment was 17.2 ML/ha and for the Furr/Drip treatment, 15.1 ML/ha. Input WP of the Flat treatment (0.68 t/ML) was higher than the raised bed treatments, which were all similar (mean 0.55 t/ML). This single season experiment shows that high yielding rice crops can be successfully grown on raised beds, but when beds are ponded after panicle initiation, there is no water saving compared with rice grown on a conventional flat layout. Preliminary recommendations for the growing of rice on raised beds are that the crop be grown as a flooded crop in a bankless channel layout. This assists with weed control and allows flooding for cold temperature protection, which is necessary with current varieties. Until we find effective herbicides and other methods of weed control and N application that do not require ponding, there is little scope for saving water while maintaining yield on suitable rice soil through the use of beds.

Additional keywords: permanent beds, subsurface drip, water productivity.


Acknowledgments

We thank Daniel Johnston for his considerable contribution during the course of the experiment, Brad Fawcett for assistance in installation of soil monitoring equipment and construction of circular flumes, and David Smith and Roy Zandona for weather data. Financial support for the project was provided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Grains Research and Development Corporation and the CRC for Sustainable Rice Production. In kind contributions were provided by Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Limited, Murray Irrigation Limited and Murrumbidgee Shire. We acknowledge the comments of Damian Heenan and Sam North on early drafts of this document.


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