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: ciifad@cornell.edu or ntu1@cornell.edu or

• tefysaina.tnr@simicro.mg