Eurasian Journal of Soil Science
In Press, Corrected Proof
DOI: 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
(This number will become active after the manuscript has been selected for inclusion in an issue)
Stable URL: https://ejss.fesss.org/manuscript.php?id=4670
Copyright © 2026 The authors and Federation of Eurasian Soil Science Societies
Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil
Abstract
Floodwater depth is an important management variable for irrigated rice grown on sodic soils, where excessive standing water may intensify root-zone oxygen limitation, whereas insufficient ponding may provide inadequate protection against sodium (Na⁺) stress. This 110-day growth chamber pot experiment evaluated 11 water regimes: W0, a saturated non-ponded control, and W1-W10, corresponding to continuous standing-water depths of 1-10 cm. The treatments were imposed on an unamended sodic clay soil (initial exchangeable sodium percentage [ESP], 16.37%; pH, 8.65; clay, 53%) planted with rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Aisara. Grain and straw yields showed significant quadratic responses to water depth (R²=0.959 and 0.935, respectively). Observed grain and straw yields were highest at 5 and 6 cm (53.69 ± 0.31 and 65.00 ± 0.13 g pot⁻¹, respectively), whereas the fitted stationary points occurred at 4.88 and 5.42 cm. Grain Na concentration was greatest in the non-ponded control and under the deepest flooding (0.39-0.43 g kg⁻¹) and lowest at 5-7 cm (0.24-0.26 g kg⁻¹). Over the same range, the grain K/Na molar ratio reached 8.93 ± 0.40, compared with 4.20 ± 0.15 in the control. Total aboveground uptake of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg was generally greatest at 5-6 cm, coinciding with the lowest post-harvest soil mineral N concentrations. Post-harvest ESP ranged from 14.47 ± 0.07% in W0 to 11.32 ± 0.12% in W10, while soil pH declined from 8.25 ± 0.01 in W0 to approximately 7.75 at 7-10 cm. Olsen-extractable P was 26-30% greater at 5-10 cm than in W0. These endpoint measurements describe differences among water-depth treatments but do not establish net Na removal or the underlying reclamation mechanisms. Under the conditions of this pot experiment, approximately 5 cm of continuous standing water provided the best overall balance between rice productivity and tissue ion relations. Field validation across soils, cultivars, irrigation-water qualities, and drainage conditions is required before this depth can be adopted as a general recommendation.
Keywords
Paddy rice, water management, sodium stress, ionic balance, exchangeable sodium percentage.
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<p>Zhapparbergenov, R., Bulanbayeva, P., Tautenov, I., Bekzhanov, S., Tokhetova, L., Yesmakhan, N., Nurymova, R., Karabayev, K., Kenzhaliyeva, B., 2026. Response of rice to phosphogypsum application rates in salt-affected paddy soil of the Kyzylorda Region, Kazakhstan. <em>Eurasian Journal of Soil Science</em> 15(3): 387–397. <a href="https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1944628">https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.1944628</a></p>
Abstract
Floodwater depth is an important management variable for irrigated rice grown on sodic soils, where excessive standing water may intensify root-zone oxygen limitation, whereas insufficient ponding may provide inadequate protection against sodium (Na⁺) stress. This 110-day growth chamber pot experiment evaluated 11 water regimes: W0, a saturated non-ponded control, and W1-W10, corresponding to continuous standing-water depths of 1-10 cm. The treatments were imposed on an unamended sodic clay soil (initial exchangeable sodium percentage [ESP], 16.37%; pH, 8.65; clay, 53%) planted with rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Aisara. Grain and straw yields showed significant quadratic responses to water depth (R²=0.959 and 0.935, respectively). Observed grain and straw yields were highest at 5 and 6 cm (53.69 ± 0.31 and 65.00 ± 0.13 g pot⁻¹, respectively), whereas the fitted stationary points occurred at 4.88 and 5.42 cm. Grain Na concentration was greatest in the non-ponded control and under the deepest flooding (0.39-0.43 g kg⁻¹) and lowest at 5-7 cm (0.24-0.26 g kg⁻¹). Over the same range, the grain K/Na molar ratio reached 8.93 ± 0.40, compared with 4.20 ± 0.15 in the control. Total aboveground uptake of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg was generally greatest at 5-6 cm, coinciding with the lowest post-harvest soil mineral N concentrations. Post-harvest ESP ranged from 14.47 ± 0.07% in W0 to 11.32 ± 0.12% in W10, while soil pH declined from 8.25 ± 0.01 in W0 to approximately 7.75 at 7-10 cm. Olsen-extractable P was 26-30% greater at 5-10 cm than in W0. These endpoint measurements describe differences among water-depth treatments but do not establish net Na removal or the underlying reclamation mechanisms. Under the conditions of this pot experiment, approximately 5 cm of continuous standing water provided the best overall balance between rice productivity and tissue ion relations. Field validation across soils, cultivars, irrigation-water qualities, and drainage conditions is required before this depth can be adopted as a general recommendation.
Keywords: Paddy rice, water management, sodium stress, ionic balance, exchangeable sodium percentage.
Author contributions: Aigul Alibekova: Investigation, data curation, formal analysis, and writing – original draft. Abzal Shegenbayev: Conceptualization, methodology, supervision, and writing – review and editing. Nursulu Yesmakhan: Methodology, validation, and writing – review and editing. Perizat Bulanbayeva: Investigation and data curation. Mukhtar Gani: Investigation and resources. Akimzhan Zhakupov: Investigation and validation. Bakhytkul Kenzhaliyeva: Formal analysis, visualization, and writing – review and editing. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Data availability statement : The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Declaration of competing interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this article.
Ethics approval: Ethics approval was not required for this study.
Acknowledgements: The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and constructive suggestions, which helped improve the quality of the manuscript.
Use of artificial intelligence: No AI tool was used for language editing or translation.
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How to cite
Alibekova, A., Shegenbayev, A., Yesmakhan, N., Bulanbayeva, P., Gani, M., Zhakupov, A., Kenzhaliyeva, B., 2026. Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil. Eurasian J. Soil Sci. DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
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CLASSICAL
Alibekova, A., Shegenbayev, A., Yesmakhan, N., Bulanbayeva, P., Gani, M., Zhakupov, A., Kenzhaliyeva, B., 2026. Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil. Eurasian J. Soil Sci. DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
APA
Alibekova, A., Shegenbayev, A., Yesmakhan, N., Bulanbayeva, P., Gani, M., Zhakupov, A., & Kenzhaliyeva, B. (2026). Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
MLA
Alibekova, A., Shegenbayev, A., Yesmakhan, N., Bulanbayeva, P., Gani, M., Zhakupov, A., and Kenzhaliyeva, B. "Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil" Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, (2026) DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
TURABIAN
Alibekova, A., Shegenbayev, A., Yesmakhan, N., Bulanbayeva, P., Gani, M., Zhakupov, A., and Kenzhaliyeva, B. "Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil" Eurasian Journal of Soil Science, DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
IEEE
A. Alibekova., A. Shegenbayev., N. Yesmakhan., P. Bulanbayeva., M. Gani., A. Zhakupov., B. Kenzhaliyeva. "Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil" Eurasian J. Soil Sci., vol. , no. , pp. DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
ISO690
ALIBEKOVA, Aigul ; SHEGENBAYEV, Abzal ; YESMAKHAN, Nursulu ; BULANBAYEVA, Perizat ; GANI, Mukhtar ; ZHAKUPOV, Akimzhan ; KENZHALIYEVA, Bakhytkul Continuous floodwater depth regulates rice yield, tissue ion balance, and post-harvest properties of an unamended sodic clay soil. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science,.DOI : 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
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- Article first published online: 07 Ekim 2026
- Manuscript Accepted: 18 Eylül 2026
- Manuscript Received: 12 Mayıs 2026
- DOI: 10.18393/ejss.2027.16.1.080.098
- Stable URL: https://ejss.fesss.org/manuscript.php?id=4670
