Quantifying the impact: Statistical analysis of weather and paddy activities on paddy effluent quality

Abstract

Paddy cultivation is a cornerstone of global agriculture and food production while supporting rural economies worldwide. Nonetheless, the intensive farming methods have adversely impacted water quality due to the poor effluent quality. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of weather conditions in terms of precipitation and stages of paddy farming activities on the quality of effluent discharged from paddy fields. A holistic approach was applied to integrate the paddy activities and weather variability into the analysis, uncovering nuanced relationships that have previously been overlooked. The water quality parameters, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₃–N), total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), arsenic (As), and aluminium (Al), were comprehensively assessed with statistical methods such as t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The implementation of statistical methods such as t-tests and ANOVA provides a robust framework for quantifying these relationships and determining their significance. Results showed that the stages of paddy farming activities influenced all the measured water quality parameters statistically significantly, with p-values less than 0.05 obtained for all the parameters. The weather conditions did not significantly influence the quality of the paddy fields effluent. However, the effect of weather conditions with the combination of paddy farming activities is statistically significant towards NH₃–N, TSS, and Al with a p-value less than 0.05. This research contributes valuable insights to the scientific understanding of paddy agriculture's environmental footprint and informs evidence-based policies for promoting sustainable agriculture and preserving water quality worldwide. By understanding how weather patterns and farming practices impact effluent quality, strategies to mitigate environmental risks and optimize water management practices in paddy cultivation areas can be developed.