Abstract
Agricultural production is the practice that uses the most water on the planet, especially the irrigated agriculture, which represents a large part of this demand. As well as the quantitative issue, adequate quality is essential to meet the demands of the crop and its return to the water sources, in a way that does not cause damage to the environment. To measure this consumption, the expression “water footprint” emerged. The water footprint seeks to quantify the demand for water incorporated into products. This paper aims to determine the amount of water used to produce irrigated rice in six rice growing regions in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), in the 2019/2020 crop. The mentioned regions are represented the municipalities of Uruguaiana (West Border), Dom Pedrito (Campanha), Santa Maria (Central Region), Camaquã (Internal Coastal Plain), Porto Alegre (External Coastal Plain), and Rio Grande (South Zone). Climate data from the analyzed regions, during the plant cycle, and productivity values in the crop in question were used. Values of 1187 m3 t−1 were found for WB, 1347 m3 t−1 for CA, 1058 m3 t−1 for CR, 783 m3 t−1 for ICP, 1115 m3 t−1 for ECP, and 1066 m3 t−1 for SZ. For the state of Rio Grande do Sul, an average water footprint was obtained in the 2019/2020 crop of 1093 m3 t−1.
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The first and second authors thank the CAPES for providing scholarships during the postgraduate period, period of this study. The third and fourth authors thank the Fapergs – Gaúcho Researcher Public Notice 05/2019.
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Fabiane Recktenwalt - Development of the methodology; creation of the manuscript, specifically writing the initial draft.
Francisco Alexandre de Moraes - Responsible for critical review; commentary and revision.
Marco Alésio Figueiredo Pereira - Responsible for conceptualization ideas; formulation and evolution of the overarching research and aims; Oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity planning and execution; substantive translation, commentary and revision.
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Recktenwalt, F., de Morais, F.A. & Pereira, M.A.F. Water footprint of irrigated rice in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 2019/2020 crop. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1532 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12029-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-12029-4