Srinagar, Oct 15: A scientific study conducted by researchers at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) has found that irrigating rice fields at field capacity can reduce irrigation water use by 66 to 69 per cent while limiting yield losses to around three per cent under Kashmir’s temperate conditions.

Published in Scientific Reports, the study examined how irrigation schedules and nitrogen application affect rice productivity, water consumption, nutrient uptake and fertiliser efficiency. The findings offer a potential pathway towards conserving water without significantly compromising rice production in the Valley.
The research was conducted during the 2021 and 2022 rice-growing seasons at SKUAST-K’s crop research farm in Wadura, Sopore. Scientists evaluated four irrigation regimes alongside four nitrogen application levels, using the Shalimar Rice-4 variety developed for Kashmir’s irrigated lowlands.
The researchers compared the recommended irrigation schedule with irrigation at field capacity and two more restrictive treatments in which irrigation was provided after soil moisture declined by 10 and 20 per cent from field capacity.
Field capacity refers to the amount of water soil retains after excess water has drained away. The approach aims to maintain adequate moisture for crop growth without applying the larger quantities of water used under conventional irrigation schedules.
The results showed that the recommended irrigation schedule required 2,150 millimetres of irrigation water in 2021 and 2,000 millimetres in 2022.
Under field-capacity irrigation, water use fell to 660 millimetres in 2021 and 680 millimetres in 2022, translating into savings of 69.3 and 66 per cent, respectively. Corresponding yield losses were limited to 3.61 and 2.97 per cent compared with the recommended schedule.
More severe water restrictions saved larger quantities but carried a substantial production penalty. Irrigation after 10 per cent moisture depletion saved 81 to 83.25 per cent of water but reduced yields by around 25 per cent.
The 20 per cent depletion treatment saved 85 to 86.97 per cent of irrigation water, but rice yields fell by approximately 39 to 40 per cent. The findings indicate that maximising water savings does not necessarily produce the best outcome for farmers when crop productivity is considered.
The study also examined how irrigation affected nitrogen uptake by rice plants and the amount of nutrient remaining in the soil after harvest.
Recommended irrigation and field-capacity irrigation recorded the highest nitrogen uptake, while the more restrictive treatments reduced the crop’s ability to absorb nutrients. Under severe moisture stress, more nitrogen remained in the soil, partly because the plants absorbed less of it.
Researchers compared unfertilised plots with treatments receiving 75, 100 and 125 per cent of the recommended nitrogen dose. Although the 125 per cent dose produced the highest nitrogen uptake, its results were statistically similar to those obtained with the full recommended dose.
The study concluded that irrigation at field capacity combined with 100 per cent of the recommended nitrogen dose offered a favourable balance between nutrient uptake and nitrogen-use efficiency. It cautioned against assuming that applying more fertiliser would necessarily deliver proportionate improvements in productivity.
Rice is a staple crop in Kashmir, and improving irrigation efficiency has implications for agricultural sustainability, particularly where water availability and soil health are important concerns.
The findings suggest that better irrigation scheduling could reduce water requirements while maintaining yields close to those achieved under the recommended irrigation regime. Improved nitrogen management could also help farmers use fertilisers more efficiently and reduce unnecessary input applications.
However, the study’s findings are based on experiments conducted at a single research location over two growing seasons. Their performance under different soil conditions, irrigation systems and farming practices would need further assessment before the method could be recommended uniformly across the Valley.
The research nevertheless provides scientific evidence that careful management of soil moisture and fertiliser application can help make Kashmir’s rice cultivation more resource-efficient without imposing the steep yield losses associated with severe water restrictions.