# Improved alternate wetting and drying irrigation increases global water productivity

*PRI Rank #4 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/rice-cultivation-and-yield-improvement/2026/rank-4*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #4 |
| 18m citations | 56 |
| Journal | Nature Food |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s43016-024-01081-z |
| Corresponding authors | Xuhui Wang, Feng Zhou |
| Institution | Peking University, China |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/rice-cultivation-and-yield-improvement/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s43016-024-01081-z](https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01081-z)

## Topics

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) · water productivity · Water management · water use efficiency · rice cultivation · soil moisture control · crop yield · water savings · Water management · Continuous flooding · aerobic conditions · anaerobic conditions · field water balance · irrigation scheduling · Sustainable agriculture

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/rice-cultivation-and-yield-improvement/2026. Accessed 2026-07-24.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```