Effects of no-till direct seeding on irrigation water and cost reduction - A field case study

무경운 직파재배가 논 용수량 및 비용절감에 미치는 효과 - 현장 사례 연구

A field case study was performed to investigate the effect of shallow ponding in paddy field on irrigation water requirement of direct seeded rice. In addition, an economic analysis was made to see the effect of no-till direct seeded rice on cost reduction. A field study was performed at a 2.1ha paddy field in Kimjae city, Chonbuk province from 1991 to 1999. Various direct seeding methods such as dryland seeding, wetland seeding, and no-till wetland seeding were introduced. Then, cost reductions due to the direct seeding and no-till were calculated. In addition, to investigate the effect of shallow ponding on irrigation water requirement, field measurements such as irrigation water volume, drainage water volume, rainfall depth, and ponding depth, were made at a 40a plot within the same area in 1988 and 1990. The results of the shallow ponding study showed that the irrigation water depth, rainfall, and the drainage depth were 379mm, 458mm, and 448mm in 1988 growing season, and 274mm, 819mm, and 736mm in 1990, respectively. The shallow ponding irrigation method saved irrigation water by about 20% with higher yield compared with the traditional method. The economic analysis showed that won \640,000 per ha can be saved by direct seeding due to no nursery cost, and \1,220,000 per ha due to no-till and no nursery cost. The yields ranged 540 to 640 kg per 10a during the study period with an average of 590kg per 10a. If these cropping techniques with no-till direct seeding and shallow ponding depth for rice cropping prove to be advantageous with further study, they can be adopted for the most of the paddy fields in Korea.