Influence of puddling procedures on the quality of rice paddy drainage water

Drainage water quality in rice paddies was strongly influenced by the puddling of soil in the paddy fields by tractors and in response to opening of drainage gates. The concentrations of contaminants in drainage water increased rapidly when the puddling process began and were maintained at high concentrations throughout the puddling period. Moreover, the high concentrations did not decrease immediately after the puddling procedures ceased. Additionally, the ratio of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous to total nitrogen and total phosphorous increased daily during the last half of the puddling period, due to discharge of chemical fertilizers with the drainage water. Also, the loads of particulate nitrogen and phosphorus discharged during the puddling period were larger than the loads discharge during irrigation. The discharge from paddy fields during puddling also increased the total annual contaminant load.