ABSTRACT
Rice and wheat are Sindh’s most important cereal crops, extensively grown in rotation. Rice-wheat rotations occur most widely in the Upper Sindh. In Sindh, rice is grown on 0.75 million hectares (mha) with an average yield of 2 tons/ha, whereas the area under wheat is over one mha with average yield of 2.1 tons/ha. The current yields of rice and wheat in Sindh are far below their yield potentials. This is partly due to improper water management practices. During the rice season, the major problem of water management is an early season water shortage followed by an excessive amount of water in the region with the onset of the monsoon season. During the wheat season, excess soil moisture in the rice fields could delay wheat planting, and secondly, later in the wheat season, there could be a shortage of irrigation water. This paper presents an overview of current water management practices in the Sindh rice-wheat zone as a case study, reviews water management practices in rice-wheat zones around the world, and identifies measures, which may result in real water savings in the rice-wheat zone of Sindh. Identified measures are at farm level. These measures include water efficient methods of rice establishment, irrigation scheduling, 250water-saving irrigation regimes, land leveling, improved layout of irrigation ditches and fields, discontinuation of pancho system and improved drainage and farmer’s participation. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getlnfo@haworthpresslnc.com> Website: <https://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]
