Future rice systems will need to produce more grain while minimizing the environmental impact. A key question is how to orient agricultural research & development (R&D) programs at national to global scales to maximize the return on investment. Here we assess yield gap and resource-use efficiency (including water, pesticides, nitrogen, labor, and energy) across 32 rice cropping systems, together accounting for 88% of global rice production. We show that achieving high yields and high resource-use efficiencies are not conflicting goals. Most cropping systems have room for increasing yield, resource-use efficiency, or both. In aggregate, current total rice production of these systems can be increased by 36%, and excess nitrogen almost eliminated, by focusing on a relatively small number of cropping systems with large yield gaps and/or poor resource-use efficiencies. This study provides essential strategic insight for prioritizing national and global agricultural R&D investments to ensure adequate rice supply while minimizing negative environmental impact in coming decades.

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There is NO Competing Interest.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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Posted 07 May, 2021
Posted 07 May, 2021
Future rice systems will need to produce more grain while minimizing the environmental impact. A key question is how to orient agricultural research & development (R&D) programs at national to global scales to maximize the return on investment. Here we assess yield gap and resource-use efficiency (including water, pesticides, nitrogen, labor, and energy) across 32 rice cropping systems, together accounting for 88% of global rice production. We show that achieving high yields and high resource-use efficiencies are not conflicting goals. Most cropping systems have room for increasing yield, resource-use efficiency, or both. In aggregate, current total rice production of these systems can be increased by 36%, and excess nitrogen almost eliminated, by focusing on a relatively small number of cropping systems with large yield gaps and/or poor resource-use efficiencies. This study provides essential strategic insight for prioritizing national and global agricultural R&D investments to ensure adequate rice supply while minimizing negative environmental impact in coming decades.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5
There is NO Competing Interest.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
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