Saturated soil culture

In saturated soil culture (SSC), the soil is kept as near to saturation as possible and it requires regular shallow irrigation (standing water depth 1 cm) on daily basis or once in every two days.The best way of using SSC is in raised beds in which the soil can be kept around saturation effectively. The raised beds are used for growing rice and shallow irrigation is applied in furrows.About 5-50% water can be saved if SSC is used scientifically. However,the saving of water varies with soil type and groundwater table depth.On average, SSC can decrease water input by 23% from the continuously flooded condition with non-significant yield reduction upto 5-10%.This technology is a good alternative to flooded rice production in semi-arid tropical environment.