A Comparison of the Water Management Practices in Paddy Fields of Japan with Some Asian Situations

Abstract

The water management practices followed in the paddy fields of Japan are outlined and compared with those elsewhere in the Asian region. As compared with the paddy fields in several countries of the Asian region almost all paddy fields in Japan are under irrigation.
The role of land consolidation, field layout, drainage, water management at the field level, methods for estimating crop water requirements, and health aspects in the paddy fields of Japan are briefly discussed.
The possibility of adopting these measures in other paddy-growing areas in Asia is also outlined. For example, improved field layout and water management at the field level could be implemented at several locations. At present it is difficult to adopt subsurface drainage practices for paddy fields in most of the Asian countries.