Can Irrigation be used to Mitigate High Night-time Temperatures Impacting Rice Production?

Undergraduate #161
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Plant Research
Session: 4
Room: Exhibit Hall A

Chandler C. Wilson - University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Co-Author(s): Joseph Massey, Delta Water Management Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Jonesboro, AR.

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Daily minimum (night-time) temperatures are rising faster than daily maximum (daytime) temperatures as the Earth’s climate warms. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is sensitive to night-time temperatures above 30oC (85oF), particularly during pollination. This is an issue for rice producers because this heat stress causes a reduction in rice yield owing to pollen sterility. One management tool that some rice producers use to mitigate stress related to high night-time temperature is to pump groundwater at night. Their idea is that the relatively cold groundwater will cool the rice canopy. However, groundwater resources are also in decline in portions of Arkansas and Mississippi. Thus, this project sought to determine if groundwater-derived irrigation is an effective management tool for cooling rice canopies at night. Research was conducted in two 13-ha commercial rice fields. One field received irrigation applied overnight from 1900 to 0700 hours. The control field was fully-flooded but received no night-time irrigation. Sensors measuring canopy and water temperature were placed at the groundwater inlets and nine other locations in each field. The sensors recorded temperature to the nearest ±0.2oC every 15-minutes. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a thermal camera with 0.2-m resolution was flown at 0700 hours and also used to compare canopy and water temperatures. Results from this preliminary research suggest that while rice flood water temperatures were reduced by night-time additions of groundwater, canopy temperatures were unaffected, calling into question the utility of night-time irrigation as a viable management tool for producers seeking to mitigate the negative impacts of elevated night-time temperatures on rice yields

Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science Foundation

Faculty Advisor: Joseph Massey, joseph.massey@ars.usda.gov

Role: For this project I found useful background research. I also cut 1 meter squares in the rice field, applied steaks to the ground, placed HOBO sensors in their designated places and collected the data.