EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION REGIMES ON IRRIGATED RICE PRODUCTION IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

The major limiting resource for irrigated rice cultivation is water. As the demand for effective management of water increase due to climate change, future rice production will depend heavily on developing and adopting strategies and practices that use efficient water application regime. The objective was to assess the impacts of different irrigation application on dry season rice yield. Two experiments were conducted using a block design with 4 replications at On On-Farm (Bontanga Irrigation Scheme) in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 dry seasons. The treatments were, surface irrigation with applied water equal to: the Field Capacity (FC) moisture content (W1); Saturated soil moisture content (SC) (W2); Continuous flooding (CF) up to 10 cm level, used as control (W3); 10ETc (W4) and 15ETc ( variety, Gbewaa rice (Jasmine 85) was used for the experiments. Seedlings were transplanted at spacing of 20 cm × 20 cm and one seedling per stand in 1 m On-Station and 7 m 2 plots at On-farm. Data was collected on plant height, number of tillers, days to 50 % flowering and maturity, canopy cover, panicle length and fertile spikelets per panicles, weight of 1000 grains, straw, biomass and grain yields and harvest index from four (4) replications. The results showed that plant height at maturity, maximum tiller count, maximum canopy cover, 1000 grain weight, grain and biomass yields of the On-Station and the On experiments showed significant difference b capacity and the rest of the treatments. Results from the experiments therefore suggested that, it is not necessary to flood rice to promote growth characteristics with the aim of obtaining high yield, since maintaining a saturated soil throughout the growing season and 10ETc of irrigation requirement results in comparable rice growth characteristics, yield and above ground biomass.