Climate ready rice: Augmenting drought tolerance with best management practices

Drought stress is one of the most important limitations for rice production in rainfed lowland systems. This is the case in rainfed systems now, and will probably even be more important in the near future given the changing climate. Recent advances in rice breeding provide much improved drought tolerance in modern rice cultivars as has already been shown in farmers' fields. To accompany these new cultivars, complementary crop management practices and diversified production systems have an important role to help farmers minimize risks and raise productivity and profitability. To evaluate the options we reviewed a wide range of studies investigating management options for rainfed lowland rice with a specific focus on drought-prone environments. To introduce the environment we provide an overview of general characteristics with a more detailed analysis of soil quality in rice-based rainfed lowlands around the world. Reviewed management technologies to mitigate drought stress include water management options, the choice of appropriate germplasm, adjusted cropping systems, improved nutrient management, different crop establishment options, better field management and soil amelioration. Several of these technologies do offer important advantages but their usefulness and applicability is dependent on site and system characteristics. Thus, a combination of germplasm × environment × management is necessary to choose the best management for a given rainfed lowland system. Getting this right can transform rice-based systems in rainfed lowlands, make them more productive, and increase and stabilize farmers' income.