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2025-06-12
Crop Calendar Adjustments for Enhanced Rainwater Harvesting in Rice Cultivation of the Plain of Reeds Under Climate Variability
Authors
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Thai Duong Phung
Faculty of Social Sciences Teacher Education, Dong Thap University, Cao Lanh City 81000, Vietnam
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Kieu Tram Thi Huynh
Faculty of Social Sciences Teacher Education, Dong Thap University, Cao Lanh City 81000, Vietnam
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Van Tuan Phan
Faculty of Social Sciences Teacher Education, Dong Thap University, Cao Lanh City 81000, Vietnam
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Dang Truong An
Department of Oceanology, Meteorology and Hydrology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i2.10067Abstract
Climate variability significantly impacts agricultural water resources, particularly in regions like Vietnam's Plain of Reeds that heavily utilize rain-fed conditions. This study employs the FAO-AquaCrop model to estimate current and future irrigation water needs for rice cultivation in this critical subregion, aiming to identify optimal sowing schedules (OSS) that enhance rainwater utilization and reduce irrigation dependency. The model was driven by current climate data and future projections (2041-2070 and 2071-2099) derived from downscaled Global Circulation Models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The AquaCrop model demonstrated robust performance during validation and calibration, with d-values (0.82-0.93) and R² values (0.85-0.92) indicating strong predictive accuracy for rice yield. Simulation results for efficient irrigation water potential (IWP) under RCP4.5 revealed that strategic shifts in sowing dates can substantially alter water requirements; for instance, advancing the winter-spring sowing to December 5th decreased IWP by 15.6% in the 2041-2070 period, while delaying summer-autumn crop sowing to April 20th increased IWP by 48.6% due to greater reliance on irrigation as rainfall patterns shift. Similar dynamic responses were observed for the 2071-2099 period and for autumn-winter crops. These findings underscore that AquaCrop modeling can effectively predict future irrigation needs and that adjusting cultivation calendars presents a viable, low-cost adaptation strategy. This approach allows farmers in the Plain of Reeds to optimize rainwater use, thereby reducing dependency on supplementary irrigation and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate variability, contributing to more sustainable agricultural water management.
Keywords:
Cultivation Calendar; Optimization; Irrigation Demand; Climate Variability; Shift; Rainwater Harvesting; AquaCropReferences
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Phung, T. D., Kieu Tram Thi Huynh, Van Tuan Phan, & Dang Truong An. (2025). Crop Calendar Adjustments for Enhanced Rainwater Harvesting in Rice Cultivation of the Plain of Reeds Under Climate Variability. Research in Ecology, 7(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i2.10067
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Copyright © 2025 Thai Duong Phung, Kieu Tram Thi Huynh, Van Tuan Phan, Dang Truong An
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.
