Title: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Capitalizing on Existing Yield Potentials by Changing Management Practices to Increase Rice Productivity with Fewer Inputs and More Profitability
1The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
Capitalizing on Existing Yield Potentialsby
Changing Management Practices to Increase
Rice Productivity with Fewer Inputs and More
Profitability
- Norman Uphoff, Cornell International Institute
- for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD)
- World Rice Research Conference, Nov. 7, 2004
2What Is SRI?
- A set of principles methods to get more
productive PHENOTYPES from any existing
GENOTYPE of rice - This is accomplished with SRI methods (a) by
inducing greater ROOT GROWTH, and (b) by
nurturing more abundant and diverse populations
of SOIL BIOTA -- through changing the management
of plants, soil, water, and nutrients
3For Centuries, Even Millennia
- We have FLOODED rice plants, drowning their roots
and causing roots to degenerate - We have CROWDED plants, inhibiting the growth
potential of their shoots and roots - We now apply various FERTILIZERS and
AGROCHEMICALS that affect the soil biota - These provide many services to rice plants
N fixation, P solubilization, protection
against diseases and abiotic stresses, etc. - Standard practices interfere with these benefits
4Different Paradigms of Production
- The GREEN REVOLUTION paradigm
- (a) Changed the genetic potential of plants, and
- (b) Increased the use of external inputs with
more water, more fertilizer, insecticides, etc. - This succeeded, but at fairly high (growing) cost
- SRI just changes the way that farmers manage
their plants, soil, water and nutrients, reducing
water use and costs of production while raising
factor productivity and farmers income - These benefits result from (a) promoting the
growth of root systems, and (b) increasing the
abundance and diversity of soil organisms, which
in turn contribute to plant productivity
5SRI Sounds Too Good to be True But It Is
True, as seen from papers
- These countries represent over 2/3 of the worlds
production/consumption of rice - No longer any question whether SRI works
- SRI practices change the E in the G x E equation
get more productive phenotypes - But there is still much about SRI that is not
well understood work in progress - Many opportunities for scientific work on soil
biology, plant physiology and nutrition, genetic
signaling, disease resistance, etc.
6Cambodian farmer with rice plant grown from
single seed, using SRI methods and traditional
variety
7Comparison of Dry Matter Accumulation(kg ha-1)
for SRI vs. Control (CK) Practicesat Maturity
(Zheng et al., SAAS, 2003)
8Figure 1. Change of leaf area index (LAI) during
growth cycle (Zheng et al., 2003)
9Root Oxygenation Ability with SRI vs.
Conventionally-Grown RiceResearch done at
Nanjing Agricultural University,Wuxianggeng 9
variety (Wang et al. 2002)
10Plant Physical Structure and Light Intensity
Distribution at Heading Stage (Tao et al.,
CNRRI, 2002)
1147.9
34.7
Non-Flooding Rice Farming Technology in Irrigated
Paddy Field, Dr. Tao Longxing, China National
Rice Research Institute, 2004
12Roots of a single rice plant (MTU 1071) grown at
Agricultural Research Station Maruteru, AP,
India, 2003 season
13Two rice plants in Cuba same variety (VN 2084)
and same age (52 days) 42 tillers on SRI plant
vs. 5 tillers on the other
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15Figure 8 Linear regression relationship between
N uptake and grain yield for SRI and
conventional methods, using QUEFTS modeling
methodology (Barison, 2002) Results are from
on-farm comparisons (N 108)
16Madagascar -- SRI field at Ambatovy, 2003
17Sri Lanka SRI field, 2002, with yield of 13 t
ha-1
18Cuba -- CPA Camilo Cienfuegos cooperative -- 14 t
ha-1
19China -- SRI rice field, hybrid variety, Yunnan,
2004 18 t ha-1
20The System of Rice Intensification
- Was evolved in Madagascar over 20 yrs by Fr.
Henri de Laulanié, S.J. working with farmers,
observing, experimenting, also having some luck
in 1983-84 season - SRI is now spreading around the world with
positive results in 21 countries Bangladesh,
Benin, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Gambia, Guinea,
India, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Myanmar,
Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam
more to come - Association Tefy Saina was set up in 1990 to
promote SRI CIIFAD partnership 1994
21Fr. de Laulanié not long before he died in 1995
22Sebastien Rafaralahy and Justin
Rabenandrasana, president and secretary of
Association Tefy Saina
23SRI Practices Should Always be Varied to Suit
Conditions
- The basic practices -- starting points -- are
- Transplant young seedlings ( lt 15 days )
although direct-seeding is becoming an option - Wide spacing single plants, in square pattern
- Soil aeration thru water management and
weeding, so aerobic conditions prevail in soil - Organic matter added to enhance the soil
fertilizer not needed though it raises SRI yield - Weed control with rotating hoe is recommended
- Farmer innovation is an important part of SRI
24Roller-marker devised by Lakshmana Reddy, East
Godavari, AP, India, to mark a square pattern on
field and save time in transplanting operations
his yield in 2003-04 season was 16.2 t/ha paddy
rice (dry weight)
25Seeder developed by Luis Romero, Cuba, for
planting pregerminated seed, sowing 40x40 cm
(too wide)
264-row weeder designed by Gopal Swaminathan, Tamil
Nadu, India
27Motorized weeder developed by S. Ariyaratna, Sri
Lanka
28SRI is controversial in some circles
- Niche innovation (Dobermann, Agric. Systems,
2004) - Voodoo science (Cassman and Sinclair, ACSSA,
2004) - SRI has no major role in improving rice
production generally (Sheehy et al., Field Crops
Research (2004) - Discussion of SRI is unfortunate because it
implies SRI merits serious consideration. SRI
does not deserve such consideration (Sinclair,
Rice Today, 2004) - However, these critiques are not based on any
extended or empirical work with SRI, which is
unfortunate - Best refutation is the empirical results that can
be reported from many different countries
(purpose of this panel) - SRI creates new logic for rice production Less
gives more
29LESS CAN PRODUCE MORE
- by 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 input when
soil communities are unimpaired living
soil is the key to SRI performance
30What Are the Negatives?
- Labor requirements initially are increased but
with experience, SRI can become - labor-neutral (GTZ evaluation in Cambodia) or
- even labor-saving (CAU evaluation in China)
- Water control is necessary for best results, but
can be achieved through investment/orgzn - Farmer learning benefit as much as cost
- Disadoption? only reported in Madagascar
- Nematodes? problem in Thailand and Laos
- No claim that SRI will be successful everywhere
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32CAU Evaluation of SRI in Xinsheng Village, Dongxi
Township, Jianyang County, Sichuan Province,
August 2004
- 2003 7 farmers used SRI (SAAS)
- 2004 398 farmers used SRI (65)
- 2003 SRI plot size average 0.07 mu
- 2004 SRI plot size average 0.99 mu
- 86.6 of SRI farmers (65/75) said they would
expand their SRI area next year or keep their
whole rice area under SRI
33Xinsheng Village, Dongxi Township
RICE YIELD (kg mu-1)
2002 2003 2004 Standard
403.73 297.88 375.77
Methods SRI --
439.87 507.16 -----------------------------
------------------------------ SRI Increase ()
46.6 34.8
Drought year Water saving/mu -- calculated at
43.2 Farmers said labor-saving greatest benefit
34Advantages of SRI beyond yield
- Cost reduction increased profitability
- Lower capital requirements accessible for
poorer households food security - Resistence to biotic stresses less pest and
disease problems, no agrochemicals - Resistance to abiotic stresses greater drought,
cold, storm and salinity tolerance, no lodging - Environmental benefits less chemicals, lower
water demand, reduced GHGs? - Biodiversity conservation tradl. varieties
- Grain quality higher milling outturn, nutrients?
35Two rice fields in Sri Lanka -- same
variety, same irrigation system, and same drought
conventional methods (left), SRI (right)
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37MEASURED 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
38SRI STILL RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN WE HAVE
ANSWERS FOR
- There are many researchable issues to be taken up
by scientists, in association with farmers and
with extension personnel - However, enough is known now to pursue a
two-pronged strategy with (a) research and (b)
practice proceeding in parallel
39THANK YOUEmail ciifad_at_cornell.eduor
tefysaina.tnr_at_simicro.mgWeb page
http//ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/
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42Effects of SRI vs. Conventional
PracticesComparing Varietal and Soil Differences
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