System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

A global overview

Erika Styger, SRI-RiceCornell University, USA

Earth University – October 31, 2011

SRI-Rice

SRI International Network and Resources Center

Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD)

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

SRI-Rice, Cornell University

• Established in August 2010

• Funded by Better U Foundation, Los Angeles, USA

• Mission– advance and share knowledge about SRI and

its derived practices and principles, and – support networking among interested

organizations and individuals around the globe.

Objectives of SRI-Rice

1. Make knowledge about SRI more widely available

• http://sririce.org

2. Advance knowledge on SRI methodology and practices

3. Strengthen the International SRI Network

What is SRI?

• The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a methodology – For increasing the productivity of irrigated

rice cultivation– By changing the management of plants,

soil, water and nutrients, while reducing external inputs.

• Developed in the 1980s in Madagascar by Father Henri de Laulanié

Source page web: http://sririce.org

6 Main Practices of SRI

1. Single plant /hill

2. Transplant young seedlings (2 leaf stage)

3. Adopt wide spacing - planted in a grid

4. Minimum water application during vegetative growth

5. Assure soil aeration

6. Use organic amendments as base fertilization

in IRAQ’s Al-Mishkhab Research Center, Najaf: SRI on left, Non-SRI on the right

SRI practices induce a phenotypical change in rice

SRI Conventional SRI SRI Conventional Conventional

Physiological and morphological changes of SRI plants

• Tillers are thicker (+38%), Plants are higher (+24%)

• More tillers/hill (+100%)

• Greater canopy angle (33° vs 18°)

SRI

Non SRI Thakur, A.K et al (2011) Effects for rice plant morphology and physiology of water and

associated mgt practices of SRI and their implications for crop performance, PAWE 9:13-24

Physiological and morphological changes of SRI plants

• Leaves are longer (36%), wider (36%), thicker and contain more chlorophyll,

--- higher LAI (52%) (Leaf area index)

• Increased crop growth rate (after 60 DAG)

and photosynthesis rate (esp. reproductive and ripening stage)

• Leave senescence is delayed

Thakur, A.K et al (2011) Effects for rice plant morphology and physiology of water and associated mgt practices of SRI and their implications for crop performance, PAWE 9:13-24

• Roots are deeper, longer, double the volume and weight/ hill

Non SRI - flooded SRI – non flooded

Thakur, A.K et al (2011) Effects for rice plant morphology and physiology of water and associated mgt practices of SRI and their implications for crop performance, PAWE 9:13-24

Thiyagarajan et al. (2009) Principles and Practices of SRI in Tamil Nadu

Yield performance

• More/similar number of panicles/ m2

• Longer panicles (+20%)

• More grains/panicle (+40%)

• Fewer empty grains • 1000 grain weight is

same/ slightly heavier Non-SRI SRI

----- Increased Yields (often >50%)

Additional Benefits of SRI1. Reduced inputs

– Seeds by 80-90%

– Water by 30-50%

– Chemical inputs: significantly or eliminated

2. Costs (vary from -40% to +20%)

3. Income increase >30-100%

4. Improved resistance to biotic/abiotic stresses

Spread of SRI up to 1999

Madagascar

Before 1999: Madagascar1999/2000: China, Indonesia2000/01: Bangladesh, Cuba, Laos, Cambodia, Gambia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Thailand 2002/03: Benin, Guinea, Moz., Peru 2004/05: Senegal, Pakistan, Vietnam

2006: Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Zambia2007: Afghanistan, Brazil, Mali 2008: Rwanda, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Japan 2009: Malaysia, Timor Leste2010: Kenya, DPRK, Panama,Haiti2011: Korea, Taiwan

2011: Benefits of SRI management now validated in 44 countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Bhutan Cuba Afghanistan

Mali Cambodia – Rainfed SRI

CON 3.6 t/ha SRI 9.5 t/ha

CON 6.5 t/ha

SRI 9.5 t/ha

CON 5.6 t/ha

SRI 9.3 t/ha

CON: 5.5 t/ha

SRI 9.1 t/ha

CON: 1.8 t/ha

SRI 4.0 t/ha

Main Ideas of SRI method

1. Favor early, quick and healthy plant establishment

1. Reduce plant population

1. Enrich soils with organic matter – keep soils aerated – favor soil microbial development

1. Reduce water applications – through alternate wetting and drying water management

SRI Nursery conducive to fast plant development • Raised beds, water 1-2x/day• Good soil texture and fertility• Seeds not densely sown• Remove plants with soil to protect roots

Favor early, quick and healthy plant establishment

Reduce seedling age : – Two leaf stage (8-12 days)– One leaf stage (4 days)– Direct seeding (China,

Cambodia, Cuba, Sri Lanka and India )

4 day seedlings, Indonesia

SRI plants complete greater number of phyllochrons -- reaching 10th phyllochron with SRI management vs. 8th phyllochron with Traditional Practices (Thakur, 2010)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

12 21 30 40 50 60 70

Till

er n

umbe

r/hill

Days after seed germination

High tiller production when planted early

A phyllochron is a regular interval of plant growth, ranging usually between 5 and 8 days for rice, when plant produces a unit of plant growth that induces tiller and root formation)

SRI

FP

TransplantingCareful and fast transplanting, shallow transplanting

Mechanization with SRITransplanter for 1 seedling/hill (Tamil Nadu, India)

SRI IrrigationDuring Vegetative period: Alternate Wetting and Drying

Introduce 1-2 cm of water – let plot dry until soil cracks – Introduce another thin layer a water etc.

Water productivity (grain yield (kg/ha)/ water consumed in m3/ha)

• India: SRI: 0.53 kg rice produced/ m3 water, flooded: 0.27kg/m3 (Viyajakumar et al, 2004)

• The Gambia: SRI: 0.62 – flooded: 0.1 (Ceesay, 2006)

Mechanical weeding

• Incorporates weeds into soil

• Aerates soil - Stimulates root growth

• Redistributes water across the plot

• Mechanical weeding more economical then hand weeding -

• To replace herbicides – location specific analysis to be done

Motorized weeder

Fields de Asseydou Alhassane, Hara-Hara, Mali

30 days after nursery establishment

SRI

Control plot

Plant development IHigher tiller number per hill in SRI

SRI

Control

Faster growth - shorter crop cycle (10 days)

ControlSRI

Plant development II

SRI

SRI Control

Control

Adaptation to Climate Change• Improved water use efficiency

• Resistance to drought, strong winds

• Shorter cropping cycle

• Greenhouse gas emissions

India Mali Vietnam

SRI non-SRI

Reducing chemical inputs

• Organic fertilization– Increase in SOM, microbial life, symbiosis– Improved nutrient and water holding

capacity– Organic rice production (India, Indonesia)

• Decreased use of pesticides– Less fungal disease– Less pest pressure – Healthier environment

Sheath blight disease

Seed production and multiplication by farmers

• 1 plant/hill eliminates danger of mixing varieties

• Best plants selected by farmers

• Only 6kg/ha of seeds required

• Reconstruction of varieties / purification of seeds

• Maintaining local varieties

Cambodia

Cambodia

Improved Soil Management

Conservation agriculture– Minimal soil disturbance,

Zero tillage– Permanent soil cover– Rotation and increased

diversity

Permanent raised beds

Liu Zhibin, Meishan, Sichuan province, China, yield of 13.4 t/ha

SRI methods combine easily with new soil management approaches

• Fully mechanized - no-till, permanent raised beds – organic fertilization

• Yields: >10t/ha• Water productivity: 0.92 kg/m3

MSRI: Mechanized SRI Asif Sharif, FarmAll Technology Ltd, Pakistan

Some challenges when adopting SRI

• Change in labor allocation during cropping season

• Water control is necessary

• Irrigation water distribution may change

• Access to biomass

• Land preparation (land leveling, switch to minimal tillage, conservation agriculture)

• Appropriate tools, Mechanization

Mahto Oraon, Gumla district, Jharkhand state, India, with SRI plant having 65 tillers (Khandagiri, 110-day variety)

RAINFED SRI: Adapting SRI principals to rainfed rice and other crops

50,000 farmers in Myanmar130,000 farmers in CambodiaCentral eastern States India

Practices – Single plant/hill yes– Young seedlings – direct seeding yes– Increased spacing yes– Planting in line, grid pattern yes– Mechanical weeding dryland weeder– Improving soils with organic matter method– Controlled water management no

Rainfed SRI Southern MaliYields SRI : 4.2 t/ha

Control: 3.0 t/ha

= 40% increase

System of Finger Millet Intensification

PRADAN, Jharkand, India

SRI principles for other cropsSystem of Crop Intensification (SCI)• Wheat (SWI): since 2006 in India, Ethiopia and Mali

– India: Bihar: Yield: 3.6-4.5 t/ha vs 1.6t/ha

330,000 ha for 2012 (Jeevika, 2011)

– Mali: Timbuktu: SWI 5-5.5t/h vs. 2t/ha (Styger and Ibrahim, unpublished)

• Teff, Finger Millet, Mustard etc.

Timbuktu, Mali

SWI TraditionalBihar, IndiaSWI TR

Ethiopia – “Planting with Space”

• Wheat• Barley• Teff• Rice

• Onion• Tomato• Chili• Cabbage• etc

Sugarcane

With SRI method

Yields are by 20-50% improved

30% reduction in water

use

25% reduction in chemical fertilizer

Developed in India

SRI in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Highly diverse region• Small scale – medium scale – large scale• Uplands – Lowlands• Different importance of rice for country economies

SICA in LAC • Cuba: 2000/2001 Peru: 2002/2003• Brazil: 2007 Costa Rica: 2008• Ecuador: Panama: 2008• Haiti: 2011

Climate change impact on crop

productivity

Productivity trends for crops:Red: declining productivityBlue : increasing productivity

Conditions for rice production will become more favorable in LAC compared to major rice producers in Asia – and compared to wheat, corn and soya

Conclusions

• SRI is not a fixed technology • SRI is an approach, a methodology

providing guidelines and ideas – to be adapted to local environment

• Improving agriculture is a process – innovations are always needed

• Ideas from SRI are now used to innovate with other crops and at level of agricultural systems

SRI farmers from the village of Donghoi, Timbuktu, Mali

Muchas gracias!

SRI-Rice : http://sririce.orgEmail: sririce@cornell.edu, eds8@cornell.edu