Rice yield and water productivity in response to water-saving irrigation practices in China: A meta-analysis

Various water-saving irrigation (WSI) practices (e.g., dry cultivation, intermittent irrigation, controlled irrigation, shallow-wet irrigation, and rain-gathering irrigation) have been applied to rice cultivation mitigate water scarcity in China. However, in previous studies, these WSI practices have shown different water savings and yield increases, mainly due to different application conditions. A meta-analysis was applied to investigate the responses of the actual evapotranspiration (ET act ), irrigation water (IW), rice yield (Y), and water productivity (WP) to WSI practices in different conditions, and 956 data sets were selected from 108 published papers. The results showed that, compared to traditional flood irrigation, rain-gathering irrigation decreased ET act and IW by 25.41 % and 55.7 % respectively, and increased WP greatly by 14.26 % while having a slight decrease in Y. Except for dry cultivation, all WSI practices increased WP by 4.72–14.26 % compared to traditional flood irrigation. The effects of different soil qualities on rice water consumption and production vary; medium soils with high organic content and a pH below 6.5 are better for rice growth. As for rice seasons, WSI practices had the least impact on ET act in middle rice, with an average reduction of 5.84 %, followed by early rice (–12.66 %) and late rice (–18.81 %). Higher mean annual temperature and more precipitation led to more Y under WSI practices. Differences in the effects of mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation on WP were not significant. Our meta-analysis provides more insight into the effects of water-saving irrigation practices on rice water consumption, yield, and water productivity at various experimental sites. In general, there is considerable variation in the responses of Y and WP to different water-saving irrigation practices, and more evaluation of aspects such as rice seasons, soil properties, and meteorological conditions is needed for optimizing WSI in practice. • Water consumption and yield of rice varied with water-saving irrigation practices. • Intermittent irrigation was superior in increasing yield and water productivity. • Lower pH favors rice growth but increases water consumption. • Early rice has the highest yield and late rice has the highest water productivity. • More mean annual precipitation and higher temperature led to more yield.