Increasing soil health and productivity of rice crops
A healthy soil ecosystem is needed for sustainable rice production. However, rice is very different from other crops because it is often grown in flooded fields where the soil is saturated for long periods of time.
What is unique with this system, as compared with other cropping systems without soil flooding, is the maintenance of soil organic matter. In addition, a flooded rice field is a favorable environment for nitrogen input through the biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen gas by naturally occurring microorganisms.