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Earlier transplanting increases Boro rice yield and water productivity by minimizing exposure to high temperature and salinity in the coastal Ganges Delta
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Earlier transplanting increases Boro rice yield and water productivity by minimizing exposure to high temperature and salinity in the coastal Ganges Delta

Priya Lal Chandra Paul, Richard W. Bell, Edward G. Barrett-Lennard, Mohammed Mainuddin, Donald S. Gaydon, Mark Glover, Marta Monjardino, Debjit Roy, Md Belal Hossain, Md Nazrul Islam, …
Field crops research, Vol.337, 110240
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110240
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Published4.97 MBDownloadView
CC BY-NC-ND V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Freshwater Irrigated rice Panicle sterility Salinity Solute potential
Context Dry season irrigated rice has the potential to increase food production and cropping intensity in the salt-affected coastal areas of the Ganges Delta, but its success is often limited by seasonal salinity, scarcity of freshwater and elevated temperatures. We hypothesized that earlier transplanting would overcome these constraints and maximize productivity. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate how transplanting times interact with salinity and temperature and affect rice yield and water productivity in a saline ecosystem. Methods Field experiments were conducted at Dacope, in the Khulna district of Bangladesh, during 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons with a single salt-tolerant rice cultivar and six transplanting dates (15 and 30 December, 15 and 30 January, 14 and 28 February) in a randomized complete block design. Soil salinity (EC1:5), solute potential, crop growth parameters and water productivity were measured along with yield and its components at harvest. Results Seasonal rainfall, temperature, and salinity strongly influenced crop performance. Transplanting on 15 and 30 December was associated with higher leaf area, biomass, tillers m−2, grain panicle−1, thousand grain weight and grain yield (7.0–7.2 t ha−1 in 2023–24 and 7.4–7.6 t ha−1 in 2024–25). Irrigation water salinity was higher in 2023–24 (2.5–6.2 dS m−1) than in 2024–25 (1.9–4.0 dS m−1), largely due to lower rainfall in the first season. Delayed transplanting after 30 December decreased yield by 11–64 % in 2023–24 and 11–54 % in 2024–25. Higher yields on 15 and 30 December were associated with lower soil salinity, higher soil solute potential, and lower daily maximum temperature during the maximum vegetative and reproductive stages. In contrast, late planting after 30 December exposed crops to more days exceeding 33 0C during reproductive stage, along with higher salinity and lower solute potential during reproductive and ripening stages, which led to high levels of panicle sterility. Transplanting on 30 December also resulted in the highest irrigation water productivity (0.86–0.91 kg m−3) and total water (irrigation and rainfall) productivity (0.84–0.86 kg m−3), while crop water productivity based on evapotranspiration was the highest with 15 December transplanting (2.51–2.62 kg m−3). Implications Transplanting Boro rice by 30 December enables crops to escape high soil salinity and elevated temperature during reproductive growth, thereby improving both grain yield and water productivity in the salt-affected coastal areas of the Ganges Delta. Adopting this practice can help farmers intensify their cropping systems by integrating high yielding salt-tolerant dry season irrigated rice with monsoon-season rice production.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#2 Zero Hunger
#12 Responsible Consumption & Production

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.45 Soil Science
3.45.397 Nitrogen Management
Web Of Science research areas
Agronomy
ESI research areas
Agricultural Sciences
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