Perennial rice – An alternative to the ‘one-sow, one-harvest’ rice production: Benefits, challenges, and future prospects

Abstract

The traditional ‘one-sow, one-harvest’ rice cultivation method faces significant challenges, including high water and energy consumption, soil health degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, increased labor demands, and excessive pesticide use. Perennial rice, a novel no-tillage-based rice system, presents a promising solution with the potential to address many of these challenges. It offers several advantages, such as reduced production costs and labor demands by eliminating the need for repeated land preparation, nursery raising, and transplanting while also lowering environmental impact through energy conservation, soil carbon sequestration, reduced soil erosion, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions. The perennial rice system is gaining traction in China, with the area under cultivation steadily increasing since its release in 2018. Farmers are interested in adopting this system due to its lower labor demand, reduced production costs, and yields and grain quality comparable to local varieties. However, perennial rice brings its own challenges, including yield instability, inconsistency in grain quality, higher irrigation demands, increased risks of pests and diseases, soil sickness, and the lack of suitable agronomic practices, such as optimum crop geometry, weed management, nutrient application, and harvesting techniques. Additionally, it limits crop diversification, making it less suitable for regions with diversified or multiple cropping systems. Despite these limitations, perennial rice demonstrates significant potential in several rice-growing regions worldwide. To fully unlock this potential, focused efforts are needed to develop high-yielding perennial varieties with better grain quality and resistance to pests and diseases. Additionally, region-specific agronomic practices, including optimal crop geometry, effective weed control, innovative nutrient management, and improved irrigation, must be established to optimize this cropping system.