Irrigation at the right time reduces by 50% the emissions of wheat in the Cerrado, reveals Embrapa

An unprecedented study by Embrapa Cerrados (DF) revealed that adjusting the timing of irrigation in wheat can halve greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) without compromising productivity. The research identified that the ideal balance point occurs when plants use 40% of the water available in the soil, a result that promises to transform the management of irrigated wheat in tropical regions, especially in the Cerrado — a strategic area for the expansion of the crop in Brazil. Published in the journal Sustainability (MDPI), the study evaluated for the first time how different irrigation strategies affect wheat productivity, water use, the emission of gases such as nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄), and soil biological activity. The work offers a new path to make irrigated production more efficient and environmentally responsible in a climate change scenario. During two years of experiments, researchers compared four levels of soil water depletion: 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%. ...