Rice-based cropping systems in Brazil: Irrigated and rainfed

Giovana Ghisleni Ribas; Alexandre Bryan Heinemann; Luís Fernando Stone; Adriano Pereira de Castro; Nereu Augusto Streck; Alberto Baêta dos Santos; Michel Rocha da Silva; Silvio Steinmetz; Camille Flores Soares; Alencar Junior Zanon

doi:10.1016/j.crope.2025.07.002

Crop and Environment ›› 2025, Vol. 4 ›› Issue (4) : 256 -262. DOI: 10.1016/j.crope.2025.07.002

Research article

research-article

Rice-based cropping systems in Brazil: Irrigated and rainfed

Author information +

History +

PDF (3906KB)

Abstract

Brazil, a major global rice producer outside Asia, has two key rice-growing regions: subtropical lowlands, where irrigated rice accounts for 78% of national production (1.1 Mha), and tropical uplands, covering 0.31 Mha of rainfed rice. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of rice-based cropping systems in Brazil, discussing agronomic management, sustainability challenges, and potential improvements. The integration of rice, soybean, and pasture systems has enhanced land-use efficiency, soil health, and productivity. Irrigation practices, soil fertility management, and pest control strategies play a crucial role in maximizing yield. Additionally, climate-smart agriculture and no-till adoption are emerging as key strategies for mitigating environmental impacts and improving resilience. Despite advancements, challenges such as climate variability, weed resistance, and water-use efficiency remain critical. This review highlights the importance of continued research and innovation in sustainable rice-based systems.

Keywords

Brazil / Cropping system / Crop management / Irrigated rice / Rainfed rice / Soybean

Cite this article

Download citation ▾

Giovana Ghisleni Ribas, Alexandre Bryan Heinemann, Luís Fernando Stone, Adriano Pereira de Castro, Nereu Augusto Streck, Alberto Baêta dos Santos, Michel Rocha da Silva, Silvio Steinmetz, Camille Flores Soares, Alencar Junior Zanon. Rice-based cropping systems in Brazil: Irrigated and rainfed. Crop and Environment, 2025, 4(4): 256-262 DOI:10.1016/j.crope.2025.07.002

登录浏览全文

4963

注册一个新账户忘记密码

References

Publishing order | Descend order by publishing year | Descend order by cited within

[1]	Bouman B.A.M., Lampayan R.M., Tuong T.P., 2007. Water Management in Irrigated Rice: Coping with Water Scarcity. International Rice Research Institute, Los Ban-os, Philippines.

[2]	Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB), 2025. Séries históricas das safras. Available at: https://www.conab.gov.br/info-agro/safras/serie-historica-das-safras/itemlist/category/900-arroz (in Portuguese).

[3]	de Avila L.A., Martini L.F.D., Mezzomo R.F., Refatti J.P., Campos R., Cezimbra D.M., Machado S.L.O., Massey J.H., Carlesso R., Marchesan E., 2015. Rice water use efficiency and yield under continuous and intermittent irrigation. Agron. J. 107, 442-448. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj14.0080.

[4]	Duarte Júnior A.J., Streck N.A., Zanon A.J., Ribas G.G., Silva M.R., Cera J.C., Pilecco I.B., Nascimento M.F., Puntel S., 2021. Rice yield potential as a function of sowing date in southern Brazil. Agron. J. 206, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20610.

[5]	Embrapa Arroz e Feijão,2023. Dados conjunturais da produção de arroz (Oryza sativa L.) no Brasil (1986 a 2022): área, produção e rendimento. Santo Antônio de Goiás, Brazil. Available at: http://www.cnpaf.embrapa.br/socioeconomia/index (in Portuguese).

[6]	Fritz L.L., Heinrichs E.A., Machado V., Andreis T.F., Pandolfo M., de Salles S.M., 2013. Impact of lambdacyhalothrin on arthropod natural enemy populations in irrigated rice fields in southern Brazil. Int. J. Trop. Insect Sci. 33, 178-187. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758413000192.

[7]	GYGA, 2025. Global Yield Gap Atlas. https://www.yieldgap.org/ (Accessed March 2025).

[8]	Heinemann A.B., Barrios-Perez C., Ramirez-Villegas J., Arango-London-o D., Bonilla-Findji O., Jarvis A., 2015a. Environmental characterization and drought profile for upland rice in Brazil. Asp. Appl. Biol. 124, 91-92.

[9]

Heinemann A.B., Barrios-Perez C., Ramirez-Villegas J., Arango-London-o D., Bonilla-Findji O., Medeiros J.C., Jarvis A., 2015b. Variation and impact of drought-stress patterns across upland rice target population of environments in Brazil. J. Exp. Bot. 66, 3625-3638. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erv126.

[10]	Instituto Rio Grandense do Arroz (IRGA), 2023. Soybean Harvest Area. Available at: https://irga.rs.gov.br/soja (in Portuguese).

[11]	Instituto Rio Grandense do Arroz (IRGA), 2024. Rice Yield. Available at: https://irga.rs.gov.br/historicos (in Portuguese).

[12]

Meus L.D., Silva M.R., Ribas G.G., Zanon A.J., Rossato I.G., Fogliato V., Pilecco I.B., Ribeiro B.S.M.R., Souza P.M., Nascimento M.F., Poersch A.H., Duarte Júnior A.J., Quintero C.E., Garrido G.C., Carmona L.C., Streck N.A., 2020. Ecophysiology of Rice for Reaching High Yield, first ed. FieldCrops Team, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

[13]	Nascente A.S., Crusciol C.A.C., Cobucci T., 2013. The no-tillage system and cover crops—alternatives to increase upland rice yields. Eur. J. Agron. 45, 124-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2012.09.004.

[14]	Ogoshi C., Carlos F.S., Ulguim A.R., Zanon A.J., Bittencourt C.R.C., Almeida R.D., 2018. Effectiveness of fungicides for rice blast control in lowland rice cropped in Brazil. Trop. Subtrop. Agroecosyst. 21, 505-511.

[15]	Ogoshi C., Carlos F.S., Waldow D., Miranda F.F., Reginato J.L., Ulguim A., 2020. Influence of blast on the nutrition and yield of irrigated rice in Southern Brazil. J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 20, 1378-1386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00219-9.

[16]	Pinheiro B. da S., Castro E. da M. de, Guimar-aes C.M., 2006. Sustainability and profitability of aerobic rice production in Brazil. Field Crops Res. 97, 34-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2005.08.013.

[17]	Ribas G.G., Streck N.A., Ulguim A. da R., Carlos F.S., Alberto C.M., de Souza P.M., Barcellos T., Puntel S., Zanon A.J., 2021a. Assessing factors related to yield gaps in flooded rice in southern Brazil. Agron. J. 113, 3341-3350. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20754.

[18]	Ribas G.G., Zanon A.J., Streck N.A., Pilecco I.B., Souza P.M., Heinemann A.B., Grassini P., 2021b. Assessing yield and economic impact of introducing soybean to the lowland rice system in southern Brazil. Agric. Syst. 188, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.103036.

[19]	Sahrawat K.L., 2010. Reducing iron toxicity in lowland rice with tolerant genotypes and plant nutrition. In: PlantStress,pp.70-75. https://oar.icrisat.org/166/1/nset1.pdf.

[20]	Santos A.B. dos, Heinemann A.B., Silva M.A.S. da, Stone L.F., Pimenta L.B., Santos D., 2021. Manejo da irrigação na cultura do arroz irrigado e na eficiência do uso da água em várzeas tropicais. Agric. Environ. Sci. 7, e021002. https://doi.org/10.36725/agries.v7i2.5294.

[21]	Santos A.B. dos, Silva M.A.S. da, Stone L.F., Heinemann A.B., 2022. Management of rice straw in rice-soybean succession in tropical lowland. Rev. Ceres 69, 390-399. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-737X202269040002.

[22]	Silva D.R.O., Avila L.A., Agostinetto D., Dal Magro T., Oliveira E., Zanella R., Noldin J.A., 2009. Pesticides monitoring in surface water of rice production areas in Southern Brazil. Ciência Rural 39, 2383-2389 (in portuguese).

[23]	Stone L.F., Silveira P.M. da, 2004. Arroz irrigado por aspersão. Informe Agropecuário 25, 70-76. https://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/bitstream/doc/926552/1/StoneIA2.pdf.

[24]	Vendrame P.R.S., Eberhardt D.N., Brito O.R., Marchão R.L., Quantin C., Becquer T., 2011. Formas de ferro e alumínio e suas relações com textura, mineralogia e carbono org^anico em Latossolos do Cerrado. Ciênc. Agrár, pp. 1657-1666 (in Portuguese).

[25]

Yuan S., Linquist B.A., Wilson L.T., Cassman K.G., Stuart A.M., Pede V., Saito K., Agustiani N., aristya V.E., Krisnadi L.Y., Zanon A.J., Heinemann A.B., Carracelas G., Subash N., Brahmanand P.S., Li T., Peng S., Grassini P., 2021. Sustainable intensification for a larger global rice bowl. Nat. Commun. 12, 7163. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27424-z.