Integrated management for nutrients and pests are essential. The defining feature of this ecosystem is the lack of ponded water at any time during the life cyle, so soils remain aerobic throughout. Absence of flooding does broaden the range of crops grown in the system, with intercropping and agroforestry being practiced in some areas. The strategy the plant requires to survive in flood depends on the depth and duration of submergence. Direct seeding is common in flood-prone environments, as establishment need not be delayed until soils are puddled.
Larger seedlings are better able to cope with submergence, because of larger reserves.
By growing the crop in bunded fields to impound rainwater, farmers sought to capture the advantages of the irrigated system for weed control and nutrient availability. But lack of control of the water regime subjects the crop to extreme contrasts. Traditionally, photoperiod sensitive cultivars were transplanted onto puddled soils, flowering towards the end of the wet season to reliabily produce some yield each season. Shortage of labour and availability of improved, photoperiod insensitive cultivars is resulting in a shift to direct seeding, with increased exposure to establishment problems and weed competition. Exposure to late season drought is reduced, however, and in some areas, a short duration legume such as chickpea may now be grown after the rice.