Adaptability of various models of the water production function for rice in Jilin Province, China

The existing irrigation schedule of most rice-growing areas in Jilin Province is not in full compliance with the Water Requirements Law of the rice; these discrepancies affect the yield of rice to some extent. Thus, research on rice water regulations and selection of an appropriate water production function model (WPFM) is very important. In this study, according to the water demand characteristics of rice, we used drought treatments separately during the tillering, jointing booting, flowering, and milky stages. Evapotranspiration and yield data were obtained using a test pit experiment and production measurements in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Five commonly used WPFMs (the Jensen, Blank, Minhas, Stewart, and Singh model) were selected for this study, and the water sensitivity index of each model was calculated based on the evapotranspiration, yield, and the model equations. The Jensen model was found to be the most suitable WPFM for this region; furthermore, a mathematical relationship between the water sensitivity index and days after rice planting was established. These results have important theoretical and practical implications for guidelines regarding rice irrigation in Jilin Province.