Excessive soil water stress responses of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) and perilla (Perilla frutescens L.) cultivated from paddy fields with different topographic features

In Korea, the largest agricultural lands are paddy fields which have poor infiltration and drainage properties. Recently, the Korean government has pursued cultivating upland crops in paddy fields to reduce overproduced rice in Korea. For this policy to succeed, it is critical to understand the topographic information of paddy fields and its effects on upland crops cultivated in the soils of paddy fields. The objective of this study was to characterize the growth properties of sesame and perilla from paddy fields with three soil topographic features and soil water effects which were induced by the topographic features of the sesame and perilla. The crops were planted in paddy fields located in Miryang, Gyeongnam with different topographies: mountain foot slope, local valley and alluvial plain. Soil water contents and groundwater levels were measured every hour during the growing season. The paddy field of the mountain foot slope was significantly effective in alleviating wet injury for the sesame and perilla in the paddy fields. The paddy field of the mountain foot slope had a decreased average soil water content and groundwater level during cultivation. Stress day index (SDI) from the alluvial plain paddy field had the greatest values from both crops and the smallest from the ones from the paddy field of the mountain foot slope. This result means that sesame and perilla had the smallest stress from the soil water content of the paddy field on the mountain foot slope and the greatest stress from the soil water content of the alluvial plain. It is important to consider the topography of paddy fields to reduce wet injury and to increase crop yields.