0508 opportunities for raising rice yields and the productivity of land, labor and water with the...
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Presented by: Norman Uphoff Presented at: DAE/BRF Seminar on SRI Dept. of Agric. Extension, DhakaTRANSCRIPT
Opportunities for Raising Rice Yields and the Productivity of
Land, Labor and Water with the System of Rice Intensification
DAE/BRF Seminar on SRIDAE Conference Room, Farmgate, Dhaka
February 22, 2005
Norman Uphoff, Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and
Development (CIIFAD)
SRI Has Been ‘Controversial’in Some Circles – But No Longer
Any Justification for Dismissing It• ‘SRI effect’ now validated in 22 countries:
from China to Cuba, Philippines to Peru• Scientific evaluations in Bangladesh (SRI
consortium/PETRRA), Cambodia (GTZ), Sri Lanka (IWMI), India (ANGRAU, IWMI), China (CAU), etc., have confirmed the many benefits of SRI practices
• Explanations for SRI effect accumulating – so no longer any mystery
The Question is: How Can We Understand and Take Advantage
of the New Opportunities?• A big problem for understanding SRI has
been its variability – different results• SRI is a biologically-based innovation –
different paradigm from Green Revolution• SRI is counter-intuitive – less gives MORE• All organisms are phenotypes – result of GxE
interactions – SRI changes the ‘E’• Produces more productive phenotypes
SRI rice field, hybrid variety, Yunnan province, 2004 – 18 t/ha
Ms. Im Sarim, Cambodia,with rice plant grown
from single seed,using SRI methods
and traditional variety-- yield of 6.72 t/ha
Tillering with SRI practices in Indonesia, shown by Dr. Musliar Kasim (Andalas Univ., Padang, West Sumatra)
Madagascar SRIfield (17.2 t/ha) 2003
SRI field in Cuba-- 2003CFA Camilo Cienfuegos14 t/ha – Los Palacios 9
SRI field in Sri Lanka –
with many panicles having 400+ grains
SRI Message: For Centuries, Even Millennia, We Have Been ABUSING and MISTREATING the Rice Plant
• We have FLOODED it – drowning its roots• We have CROWDED it – inhibiting the
growth potential of its canopy and roots• Now we apply AGROCHEMICALS that
adversely affect the SOIL BIOTA which provide so many services: N fixation, P solubilization, protection against diseases and abiotic stresses, etc.
SRI Results are Remarkable -- butThey Have Been Replicated Widely
• Increases in yield – 50-100% or more, with• No need to change varieties – all respond• No need for mineral fertilizers – they are
beneficial, but compost gives better yield• Little or no need for chemicals sprays --
plants more resistant to pests/diseases• Seed requirement is reduced by 80-90%, and
water requirements lower by 25-50%• More labor is required initially, but SRI can
even become labor-saving over time
What Are the Negatives?-- Surprisingly Few
• Initial labor-intensity – while learning SRI; this is not entirely negative (can create employment in productive manner – with SRI, labor productivity is much higher
• Often becomes labor-saving (good or bad?)
• Water control needed for best results --many ways to achieve this – water-saving good
• Farmer skill and management capacity – human resource development is a plus
• Specific problems: nematodes? GAS?
The System of Rice Intensification
• Evolved in Madagascar over 20 years by Fr. Henri de Laulanié, S.J. – working with farmers, observing, doing experiments, also having some luck in 1983-84 season
• SRI is now spreading around the world -- positive results now seen in 22 countries
• SRI is a set of principles and insights that when translated into certain practices can change the growing environment of rice to get healthier, more productive plants which are different, better PHENOTYPES
Fr. de Laulaniémaking field visit
Sebastien Rafaralahy andJustin Rabenandrasana,Association Tefy Saina
SRI is a set of principles and methods to get more productive
PHENOTYPES from any GENOTYPE
SRI changes the management of plants, soil, water, and nutrients to:
(a) induce greater ROOT growth and
(b) nurture more abundant and diverse populations of SOIL BIOTA
Capitalize on existing rice potentials
“Secret” of SRI Is Root Growth Supported by Soil Biota
• SRI practices – wide spacing, aerated soil, young seedlings -- give larger ROOT SYSTEMS
• Practices – esp. with compost -- also promote SOIL BIOTA that in turn support roots and shoot
Roots of a single rice plant (MTU 1071) grown at Agricultural Research Station
Maruteru, AP, India, kharif 2003
Cuba – 52 DAP, Variety VN 2084
AZOSPIRILLUM POPULATIONS, TILLERING AND RICE YIELDS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT CULTIVATION PRACTICES
AND NUTRIENT AMENDMENTSResults of replicated trials at the Centre for Diffusion of Agricultural Intensification,
Beforona, Madagascar, 2000 (Raobelison, 2000)
Azospirillum in the
CLAY SOIL Rhizosphere(103/ml)
Roots(103/mg)
Tillers/plant
Yield(t/ha)
Traditional cultivation,no amendments
25 65 17 1.8
SRI cultivation, withno amendments
25 1,100 45 6.1
SRI cultivation, withNPK amendments
25 450 68 9.0
SRI cultivation,with compost
25 1,400 78 10.5
LOAM SOILSRI cultivation,with no amendments
25 75 32 2.1
SRI cultivation,with compost
25 2,000 47 6.6
Different Paradigms of Production • The GREEN REVOLUTION paradigm:
(a) Changed the genetic potential of plants, and
(b) Increased the use of external inputs -- more water, fertilizer, insecticides, etc.
• SRI changes certain management practices for plants, soil, water and nutrients, so as to:
(A) Promote the growth of root systems, and
(B) Increase the abundance and diversity of
soil organisms, and also (C) Reduce water use and costs of production
SRI Concepts Are Being Applied to Other Crops Now
• Finger millet (ragi) – large differences in plant phenotype with early transplanting
• Sugar cane – reducing sets from 4 t/ac to 0.6 t/ac (85% reduction), with careful handling of plants and wide spacing, getting 60-80 t/acre (even 100 t/acre)
• Winter wheat is now being produced with ‘SWI’ in Poland
Plant Physical Structure and Light Intensity Distribution
at Heading Stage (Tao et al., CNRRI, 2002)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
6-J ul 16-J ul 26-J ul 5-Aug 15-Aug 25-Aug
Date
LAI
SRICK
Figure 1. Change of leaf area index (LAI) during growth cycle (Zheng et al., 2003)
Much Remains to be Known about the Mechanisms
• Multiple hypotheses can be formulated from the existing scientific literature
• Relatively little soil research to date hasfocused on soil biology (<10%)
• Relatively little plant research has dealt with plant roots (<5%)
• One example is the apparent effect of phytohormones produced by aerobic bacteria and fungi (e.g., auxins, cytokinins)
Greatest Benefit Is Not YIELD• This can vary, often widely; what farmers
need is PROFITABILITY > YIELD• From society’s perspective, what is most
important is factor productivity – rice kg per unit of land, labor, capital, and water
• Also, SRI can surely be further improved since it was developed inductively
• Farmers are making many improvements of their own to save labor and add to their profitability
Roller-marker devised by Lakshmana Reddy, East Godavari,AP, India, to save time in transplanting operations; his yield
in 2003-04 rabi season was 16.2 t/ha paddy (dry weight)
4-row weeder designedby Gopal Swaminathan,
Thanjavur, TN, India
AERATE SOIL at same time weeds are removed/incorporated
Motorizedweeder
developed byS. Ariyaratna
Sri Lanka
The Aim of SRI Is Not to DOUBLE PRODUCTION
• Rather seek to raise factor productivity• This should permit REDEPLOYMENT of
some of our land, labor, water and capital from the production of staple food to higher value activities – more income and better nutrition
• SRI should lead to DIVERSIFICATION of agriculture, also to its MODERNIZATION
• SRI is ‘a work in progress’ – not finished
SRI Continues to Evolve and Provide More Benefits
• ADAPTABILITY to a variety of conditions
• Resistance to BIOTIC/ABIOTIC STRESS– Drought– Storm damage
• Improvements in GRAIN QUALITY– Millers paying higher price per bushel (10%)– Reduction in chaff and broken grains– Improvement in nutritional value??
• Conservation of RICE BIODIVERSITY?
Seedlings are started at the end of winter in plastic greenhouses
Normal 3-S
Two rice fields in Sri Lanka -- same variety,same irrigation system, and same drought :
conventional methods (left), SRI (right)
MEASURED DIFFERENCES IN GRAIN QUALITY Characteristic SRI (3 spacings) Conventional Diff.
Chalky kernels (%)
23.62 - 32.47 39.89 - 41.07 - 30.7
General chalkiness (%)
1.02 - 4.04 6.74 - 7.17 - 65.7
Milled rice outturn (%)
53.58 - 54.41 41.54 - 51.46 + 16.1
Head milled rice (%)
41.81 - 50.84 38.87 - 39.99 + 17.5
Paper by Prof. Ma Jun, Sichuan Agricultural University,presented at 10th conference on Theory and Practice for
High-Quality, High-Yielding Rice in China, Haerbin, 8/2004
LESS CAN PRODUCE MOREby utilizing biological potentials & processes• Smaller, younger seedlings become larger,
more productive mature plants• Fewer plants per hill and per m2 will give
higher yield if used with other SRI practices• Half as much water produces more rice
because aerobic soil conditions are better• Greater output is possible with use of fewer or even no external/chemical inputs
NO MYSTERY – SOUND BIOLOGICAL REASONS FOR THIS REVERSED LOGIC
THANK YOU
• Web page: http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/
• Email: [email protected] or [email protected] or