Rice is one of the world’s most important staple crops, and in Europe, Italy is the leading producer, particularly in the northeastern regions. Traditionally, rice cultivation involves flooding fields from before planting until just before harvest. Maintaining this water level requires significant labor, as farmers must manually operate inlet and outlet gates. Moreover, this method results in high water consumption.
To address these challenges, new technologies using remotely and automatically controlled gates are being explored to improve irrigation efficiency. This research investigates the feasibility of an intelligent, synchronized gate system aimed at optimizing irrigation management and regulating ponding water levels more effectively.
For further details refer to the paper “The potential of a coordinated system of gates for flood irrigation management in paddy rice farm“.