Optimized rice irrigation schedule based on controlling irrigation theory

According to field scale experiment and Jenson model, different rice irrigation schedules were studied to obtain the optimum with the goal of the highest yield, as well as ideal water use efficiency. The schedule that accords with controlling irrigation theory was selected. Under this optimized irrigation schedule, total irrigation water of average-rainfall year was 600 mm, irrigating 15 times during all the stages of rice life, such as returning green, elongating to booting, and heading time stage. The optimized rice irrigation schedule saved 69.2 percent of irrigation water compared with flood irrigation schedule. The relative field scale experiments demonstrate that this irrigation schedule adapts to be used in light saline-alkali soils of Ningxia Yellow River irrigation areas, which showed that the schedule would play an important role in water-saving rice irrigation and utilization of fresh water of these areas.