Short and long-term effects of different irrigation and tillage systems on soil properties and rice productivity under Mediterranean conditions

• Long-term aerobic rice production combined with no-tillage improved soil properties.
• Aerobic rice production may reduce up to 75% of total amount of water used in the flood irrigation.
• In the mid-term sprinkler irrigation with no-tillage gave yields similar to tillage and flood irrigation.
• Aerobic rice production may be productive and sustainable under Mediterranean conditions.

In Mediterranean environments, flood irrigation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) crops is in danger of disappearance due to its unsustainable nature. The aim of the present study was to determine the short- and long-term effects of aerobic rice production, combined with conventional and no-tillage practices, on soils' physical, physicochemical, and biological properties, as well as on the rice yield components and productivity in the semi-arid Mediterranean conditions of SW Spain. A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive years (2011, 2012, and 2013), with four treatments: anaerobic with conventional tillage and flooding (CTF), aerobic with conventional tillage and sprinkler irrigation (CTS), aerobic with no-tillage and sprinkler irrigation (NTS), and long-term aerobic with no-tillage and sprinkler irrigation (NTS7). Significant soil properties improvements were achieved after the long-term implementation of no-tillage and sprinkler irrigation (NTS7). The short-term no-tillage and sprinkler irrigated treatment (NTS) gave lower yields than CTF in 2011 and 2012, but reached similar yields in the third year (NTS 8229 kg ha−1; CTF 8926 kg ha−1), with average savings of 75% of the total amount of water applied in CTF. The NTS7 data showed that high yields (reaching 9805 kg ha−1 in 2012) and water savings are sustainable in the long term. The highest water productivity was with NTS7 in 2011 (0.66 g L−1) and 2012 (1.46 g L−1), and with NTS in 2013 (1.05 g L−1). Thus, mid- and long-term implementation of sprinkler irrigation combined with no-tillage may be considered as a potentially productive and sustainable rice cropping system under Mediterranean conditions.