Current situation

Salinity is one of the major challenges in rice cultivation, particularly in coastal areas. It is mainly caused by insufficient soil moisture, increased evaporation due to high temperatures, and the irrational use of boreholes. As a result, seawater intrusion into the groundwater table increases salt concentrations in paddy fields.

When salinity exceeds the threshold of 3 dS/m, it can inhibit photosynthesis, cause chlorosis, and reduce crop yields. To mitigate these adverse effects, two main practices are commonly applied:
a) crop rotation, often associated with significantly reduced yields, and
b) continuous irrigation of rice fields (the most widely used practice) to leach salts away, as salts are highly soluble and easily transported toward drainage channels.

Today, salinity problems are identified either empirically through visual assessment or through the use of electrical conductivity measuring instruments by producers. As a result, detection is often delayed—after salinity has already reached harmful levels—or misdiagnosed in cases where symptoms are actually caused by nitrogen deficiency-induced chlorosis.

This situation creates the need for constant field monitoring, increasing producers’ movements and, in many cases, leading to unnecessary consumption of large quantities of water. Consequently, it negatively affects both production and the environment by increasing water wastage, energy consumption, production costs, and the overall environmental footprint of rice cultivation.

Implementation methodology

The pilot fields will be established in areas affected by salinity issues, where autonomous electrical conductivity (EC) sensors developed by DIMITRA within the framework of the SmartPaddy and DEMETER projects will be installed. To date, this technology has not been widely adopted by rice producers, who cultivate their fields without accurate information regarding salinity levels.

Within the framework of this project, the sensor system will be upgraded by replacing the existing Wi-Fi communication protocol with GSM technology, taking advantage of the expanded mobile network coverage in Greece.

This upgrade will make the system more user-friendly, accessible, and flexible, as producers will be able to access information through a digital platform via PC or smartphone. In the pilot fields, the conventional leaching practice will be compared with the proposed “Smart Rice” approach. Under the latter, producers will receive real-time information regarding salinity levels and water depth in the paddy fields where the devices are installed.

The system will be programmed to automatically send alerts when salinity levels exceed the predefined threshold limits established jointly by DIMITRA and the producer group (typically >3 dS/m).

At the end of the cultivation period, rice yield and quality characteristics affecting producer prices will be evaluated, followed by a techno-economic analysis of the results.