The Netherlands faces significant environmental challenges due to the extensive peatland drainage for agriculture, leading to greenhouse gas emissions, land subsidence, and biodiversity loss. Traditional agricultural practices on these lands are not environmental sustainable, necessitating innovative solutions for peatland rewetting. This thesis investigates the feasibility of introducing rice cultivation as a form of paludiculture in the Dutch peatlands, aiming to promote sustainable practices and explore new opportunities for local food production. In particular, the aim is to evaluate climatic suitability and the performance of specific rice cultivars, providing a deeper understanding of their cold tolerance and productivity to identify those suitable for Dutch weather conditions. The study integrates historical meteorological data analysis (1989-2023) from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) with controlled-environment experiments. Climatic analysis involved examining Degree Days (DD), Cooling Degree Days (CDD), and temperature patterns across coastal, intermediate, and continental regions of the Netherlands. Controlled-experiments quantified the optimal thermal requirements (DD) for selected rice cultivars and assessed the impact of cold stress during tillering and flowering on grain yield (GY) under specific thermal regimes. Statistical analyses were performed using R software. The integrated findings clarified the thermal suitability for rice cultivation across the different regions, with climate warming trends indicating increasing suitability by 2030-2050. The study identified 17 promising cultivars capable of maturing within the observed thermal window. It revealed that cold stress during critical developmental stages significantly impacts GY, confirming flowering as the most cold-sensitive stage. Significant variations in cold tolerance were observed among tested cultivars, leading to a classification that highlights promising candidates for rice cultivation in the Netherlands based on GY and cold tolerance. This research offers an innovative perspective on the potential of rice as a paludiculture crop in the Netherlands, providing crucial insights into cultivar performance and climatic limits. By addressing the current knowledge gap in rice cultivation for this geographical area, the study lays the groundwork for future research into its integration with peatland management, highlighting potential pathways towards more sustainable agriculture, local food production, and peatland rewetting.
I Paesi Bassi affrontano significative sfide ambientali a causa dell'esteso drenaggio delle torbiere per scopi agricoli, che porta a emissioni di gas serra, abbassamento del suolo e perdita di biodiversità. Le pratiche agricole tradizionali su questi terreni non sono sostenibili al livello ambientale, rendendo necessarie soluzioni innovative per la riumidificazione delle torbiere. La presente tesi indaga la fattibilità dell'introduzione del riso come forma di paludicoltura nei Paesi Bassi, con l'obiettivo di promuovere pratiche sostenibili di gestione delle torbiere ed esplorare nuove opportunità per la produzione alimentare locale. La ricerca mira a valutare l'idoneità climatica e la performance di specifiche cultivar di riso, fornendo una comprensione più approfondita della loro tolleranza al freddo e della loro produttività per identificare quelle adatte alle condizioni climatiche olandesi. Lo studio si basa sull'analisi di dati meteorologici storici (1989-2023) forniti dal Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), integrata da esperimenti condotti in ambiente controllato. L'analisi climatica ha esaminato i Gradi Giorno (DD), i Gradi Giorno di Raffreddamento (CDD) e i modelli di temperatura nelle regioni costiere, intermedie e continentali dei Paesi Bassi. Gli esperimenti in ambiente controllato hanno quantificato i requisiti termici ottimali (DD) per le cultivar di riso selezionate e hanno valutato l'impatto dello stress da freddo durante l'accestimento e la fioritura sulla resa in granella, in condizioni di specifici regimi termici. Le analisi statistiche sono state eseguite utilizzando il software R. I risultati hanno chiarito l'idoneità termica per la coltivazione del riso in diverse regioni olandesi, con le tendenze di riscaldamento climatico che indicano una crescente idoneità entro il 2030-2050. Lo studio ha identificato 17 cultivar promettenti in grado di maturare all'interno della finestra termica osservata e ha rivelato che lo stress da freddo durante le fasi critiche di sviluppo ha avuto un impatto significativo sulla resa in granella, confermando la fioritura come la fase più sensibile al freddo in termini di impatto sulla resa. Inoltre, sono state osservate significative variazioni nella tolleranza al freddo tra le cultivar testate, portando ad una classificazione che evidenzia cultivar promettenti per la coltivazione del riso nei Paesi Bassi, basata sulla resa e sulla tolleranza al freddo. Questa ricerca offre una prospettiva innovativa sul potenziale della paludicoltura del riso nei Paesi Bassi, fornendo informazioni sulla performance delle cultivar e sui limiti climatici. Contribuendo alla limitata conoscenza attuale sulla coltivazione del riso in quest'area geografica, lo studio getta le basi per future ricerche sulla sua integrazione con la gestione delle torbiere, evidenziando potenziali percorsi verso un'agricoltura più sostenibile, la produzione alimentare locale e la riumidificazione delle torbiere.
A win-win solution for rice and peatlands: identifying cold-tolerant cultivars and assessing weather suitability in the Netherlands
Lo Iacono, Ilenia
2024/2025
Abstract
The Netherlands faces significant environmental challenges due to the extensive peatland drainage for agriculture, leading to greenhouse gas emissions, land subsidence, and biodiversity loss. Traditional agricultural practices on these lands are not environmental sustainable, necessitating innovative solutions for peatland rewetting. This thesis investigates the feasibility of introducing rice cultivation as a form of paludiculture in the Dutch peatlands, aiming to promote sustainable practices and explore new opportunities for local food production. In particular, the aim is to evaluate climatic suitability and the performance of specific rice cultivars, providing a deeper understanding of their cold tolerance and productivity to identify those suitable for Dutch weather conditions. The study integrates historical meteorological data analysis (1989-2023) from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) with controlled-environment experiments. Climatic analysis involved examining Degree Days (DD), Cooling Degree Days (CDD), and temperature patterns across coastal, intermediate, and continental regions of the Netherlands. Controlled-experiments quantified the optimal thermal requirements (DD) for selected rice cultivars and assessed the impact of cold stress during tillering and flowering on grain yield (GY) under specific thermal regimes. Statistical analyses were performed using R software. The integrated findings clarified the thermal suitability for rice cultivation across the different regions, with climate warming trends indicating increasing suitability by 2030-2050. The study identified 17 promising cultivars capable of maturing within the observed thermal window. It revealed that cold stress during critical developmental stages significantly impacts GY, confirming flowering as the most cold-sensitive stage. Significant variations in cold tolerance were observed among tested cultivars, leading to a classification that highlights promising candidates for rice cultivation in the Netherlands based on GY and cold tolerance. This research offers an innovative perspective on the potential of rice as a paludiculture crop in the Netherlands, providing crucial insights into cultivar performance and climatic limits. By addressing the current knowledge gap in rice cultivation for this geographical area, the study lays the groundwork for future research into its integration with peatland management, highlighting potential pathways towards more sustainable agriculture, local food production, and peatland rewetting.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2025_07_LoIacono_Tesi_01.pdf
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2025_07_LoIacono_ExecutiveSummary_02.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/240345