Effects of irrigation regimes and rice varieties on methane emissions and yield of dry-season rice in Bangladesh
- From
-
Published on
02.05.23
- Impact Area

The role of rice in global food security is unavoidable as it is one of the three most essential food crops globally, after wheat and maize. In Bangladesh, the area under rice cultivation, particularly boro rice, must be extended to meet the increasing food demand, which may cause significant CH4 emissions and ultimately accelerate the effects of global warming. Most previous studies have been conducted to quantify the effects of fertilizer and water regimes on GHG emissions from rice fields. However, the impacts of different rice cultivars under various water regimes on CH4 emissions, rice yields, and yield-contributing characteristics are poorly documented.
Rice is the staple food crop in Bangladesh and is cultivated in 11.4 million hectares (ha) across three crop-growing seasons per year. Of the three seasons, boro (dry season, December/January to March/April) results in an area under rice crop (irrigated rice) production of 4.8 million hectares.
The total rice production in Bangladesh was 36.6 million tons (t) in 2019/20, and Boro rice contributed the majority of the total production. Although rice plays a critical role in food security, it is associated with environmental pollution due to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly methane (CH4).
Irrigated rice cultivation emits CH4, one of the main GHGs responsible for global warming and climate change. Lowland rice cultivation with continuous irrigation makes the soil environment anoxic, which favors the bacterial decomposition of organic materials through methanogenesis and produces CH4 gas. It is reported that rice cultivation accounts for 1.5% of all anthropogenic GHG emissions worldwide.
Related news
-
How Digital Agriculture Boosts Crop Yields and Efficiency
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)04.07.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
Digital agriculture is revolutionizing how we produce food. By integrating advanced technologies suc…
Read more -
-
Mapping for Resilience: How Spatial Data is Transforming Karamoja Cluster
Ibukun Taiwo02.07.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
Pastoral communities in the Karamoja Cluster (a region spanning Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethi…
Read more -
-
Building Resilience and Regeneration: The Central Highlands Ecoregion Foodscape (CHEF)
Sehlule Muzata02.07.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
At the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program (SFP), we believe that collaboration is essential for trans…
Read more -