The effect of water-saving irrigation on the growth of local rice plants

The decline in the function of the watershed causes the increasing scarcity of water, while the competition for water use is increasing. A conventional method of rice cultivation (continuous inundation) is very wasteful in the use of irrigation water. Water-saving irrigation by regulating the water availability in rice fields is an effort to reduce water loss due to percolation, seepage, and runoff. The study’s purpose was to examine the effect of water availability in the field on the growth of local rice varieties. The study used 5 treatments of water availability in the field (GW < 50% AW, 50% AW < GW ≥ 60% AW, 60% AW< GW ≥ 70% AW, 70% AW < GW ≥ 80% AW, and saturated) with 3 replicates and the parameters observed were the height of plants and number of tillers. The results showed that the availability of water in the field did not affect the plant height but did affect the number of tillers. From the vegetative phase at the age of ±28 days after planting (DAP) to the beginning of the generative phase ±55 DAP, there was an addition of tillers. When the generative phase period from ± 55 DAP, the formation of the tillers stopped, and some of the tillers dried up or died.