Rice cultivation using alternate wet and dry irrigation (AWDI)
Practical Action
The field tube installation
The filed tube can be made of plastic pipe or bamboo (40
cm long and a diameter of 15 cm or more so that the
water table is easily visible). Perforate the field tube with
holes on all the sides. The field tube can be placed on a
flat part of the field close to a bund. This makes it easy to
monitor the depth of ponded water.
Installation
• Push the field tube (so that 20 cm protrudes above the
surface of the soil) vertically by hand
• Do not penetrate through the bottom of the plow pan
• Drive cylinder using a mallet
• Check clearance from the soil surface
• Ensure that the water table inside the field tube is the
same as outside the tube
• Remove the soil inside the tube so that the bottom of
the field tube is visible
• Check and level the top of the tube
Figure 3: A field tube before
installation. Photo: Zul Mukhida / Practical
Action.
References
• Bouman B.A.M., Lampayan R.M., and Tuong T.P. 2007. Water Management in Irrigated
Rice: Coping with Water Scarcity. International Rice Research Institute. Los Baños,
Philippines, Los Baños
• McHugh O. V, Steenhuis T.S, Barison J., Fernandes E.C.M. and Uphoff N. T. 2002. Farmer
implementation of alternate wet-dry and nonflooded irrigation practices in the System of
Rice Intensification (SRI). In: Water-Wise Rice Production: Proceedings of the International
Workshop on Water-Wise Rice Production, 8-11, 2002, Los Baños, Philippines
• Van der Hoek, W., Sakthivadivel, R., Renshaw, M., Silver, J.B., Birley, M.H. and Konradsen,
F. 2001. Alternate Wet/Dry Irrigation in Rice Cultivation: A Practical Way to Save Water and
Control Malaria and Japanses Encephalitis? Research report no. 47, International Water
Management Institute, Sri Lanka.
• Vial L. K., (2007), Aerobic and Alternate-Wet-and-Dry (AWD) Rice Systems. A report for
Nuffield Australia farming scholars
Further information
• http://practicalaction.org/intensive-rice-cultivation
• http://practicalaction.org/adapting-rice-to-saltier-conditions-1
• http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/factsheetsPDFs/watermanagement_FSAWD3.pdf
• http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org
• http://www.knowledgebank-brri.org/AWD/AWD_technology.pdf
• http://www.knowledgebank-brri.org/AWD/AWD_technology.pdf
• http://dspace.irri.org:8080/dspace/bitstream/10269/149/1/dpaper29.pdf
• http://www.fao.org/NR/WATER/espim/reference/Study_environment_water_saving.pdf
• http://www.lk.iwmi.org/Test/CD/pub/pubs/Proceedings/Water-
SavingIrrigation/pdf/Chapter5.pdf
• http://www.cabi.org/GARA/FullTextPDF/2009/20093019324.pdf
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