An Overview of Opportunities with the

System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

CNRRI Workshop, HangzhouFebruary 28-March 2, 2010

Prof. Norman UphoffCornell University

SRI Involves Changes in Practices1. Transplant young seedlings to preserve their growth

potential -- but DIRECT SEEDING is now an option2. Avoid trauma to the roots -- transplant quickly and

shallow, not inverting root tips which halts growth3. Give plants wider spacing -- one plant per hill and in

square pattern to achieve ‘edge effect’ everywhere4. Keep paddy soil moist but unflooded -- soil should be

mostly aerobic -- not continuously saturated5. Actively aerate the soil as much as possible6. Enhance soil organic matter as much as possible

First 3 practices stimulate plant growth, while the latter 3 practices enhance the growth and the health of plants ROOTS and of soil BIOTA

SRI practices generally contribute: • Higher yields -- by 50-100%, or more• Water reduction -- 25-50% (also rainfed)• Reduced capital need - accessible to poor• Little or no need for agrochemical inputs which is better for soil and water quality• Tolerance for climatic stresses - drought, storm damage, extreme temperatures• Induced pest and disease resistance • Better grain quality -- less chalkiness • Less cost of production higher income

Two Paradigms for Agriculture:

• GREEN REVOLUTION strategy was to:(a) Change the genetic potential of plants, and

(b) Increase the use of external inputs -- more water, more fertilizer and insecticides

• SRI (AGROECOLOGY) instead changes the management of plants, soil, water & nutrients:

(a) Promotes the growth of root systems, and

(b) Increases the abundance and diversity of soil organisms to better enlist their benefits

SRI produces better PHENOTYPES naturally

CUBA: farmer with two plants of same variety

(VN 2084) and same age (52 DAP)

IRAN: SRI roots and normal

(flooded) roots: note difference in color as well as size

VIETNAM: Dông Trù village,Hanoi province,

after typhoon

Period Period Mean Mean max. max.

temp. temp. 00CC

Mean Mean min. min.

temp. temp. 00C C

No. of No. of sunshine sunshine

hrshrs

1 – 151 – 15 NovNov 27.727.7 19.219.2 4.94.9

16–3016–30 Nov Nov 29.629.6 17.917.9 7.57.5

1 – 15 Dec1 – 15 Dec 29.129.1 14.614.6 8.68.6

16–31 Dec 16–31 Dec 28.128.1 12.212.2** 8.68.6

INDIA: Meteorological and yield data from ANGRAU IPM evaluation, Andhra Pradesh,

2006

SeasonSeason Normal (t/ha)Normal (t/ha) SRI (t/ha)SRI (t/ha)

Rabi 2005-06Rabi 2005-06 2.25 2.25 3.473.47

Kharif 2006Kharif 2006 0.21*0.21* 4.164.16

* Low yield was due to cold injury for plants (see above)

*Sudden drop in min. temp. during 16–21 Dec. (9.2-9.8oC for 5 days)

NEPAL: Crop duration (from seed to seed) for different rice varieties, with SRI (6.3

t/ha) vs. conventional methods (3.1 t/ha): 125 vs.141 days

Varieties Conventional duration

SRI duration Difference

Bansdhan/Kanchhi

145 127 (117-144)

18 (28-11)

Mansuli 155 136 (126-146)

19 (29- 9)

Swarna 155 139 (126-150)

16 (29- 5)

Sugandha 120 106 (98-112) 14 (22- 8)

Radha 12 155 138 (125-144)

17 (30-11)

Barse 3017 135 118 17

Hardinath 1 120 107 (98-112) 13 (22- 8)

Barse 2014 135 127 (116-125)

8 (19-10)

VIETNAM: Reduction in Diseases & Pests

National IPM Program conducted evaluation based on data from 8

provinces, 2005-06Spring season Summer season

SRIPlots

Farmer

Plots

Differ-ence

SRIPlots

Farmer

Plots

Differ-ence

Sheath blight

6.7%

18.1%

63.0% 5.2%

19.8%

73.7%

Leaf blight

-- -- -- 8.6%

36.3%

76.5%

Small leaf folder *

63.4 107.7 41.1% 61.8 122.3 49.5%

Brown plant hopper *

542 1,440 62.4% 545 3,214 83.0%

AVERAGE

55.5% 70.7%

* Insects/m2

SRI

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

IH H FH MR WR YRStage

Org

an d

ry w

eigh

t(g/

hill)

CK

I H H FH MR WR YR

Yellowleaf andsheathPanicle

Leaf

Sheath

Stem

47.9% 34.7%

Non-Flooding Rice Farming Technology in Irrigated Paddy FieldDr. Tao Longxing, China National Rice Research Institute, 2004

China National Rice Research Institute:

Factorial trials over two years, 2004/2005

using two super-hybrid varieties with the aim of breaking the ‘plateau’

limiting yieldsStandard Rice Mgmt• 30-day seedlings• 20x20 cm spacing• Continuous

flooding• Fertilization:

– 100% chemical

New Rice Mgmt (~SRI)• 20-day seedlings• 30x30 cm spacing• Alternate wetting

and drying (AWD)• Fertilization:

– 50% chemical, – 50% organic

Average super-rice yields with standard rice management (SRM) vs. new rice

management (NRM~SRI) at different plant densities ha-1

Plant density (plants per hectare)

Yie

ld (

kg

per

hecta

re)

AN ASSESSMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) COMPARED WITH RECOMMENDED RICE CULTIVATION PRACTICES IN INDIA

A.K. Thakur, N. Uphoff, E. AntonyExperimental Agriculture, 46(1), 77-98 (2010)

Water-use efficiency is reflected in theratio of photosynthesis to transpiration

For the loss of 1 millimol of water by transpiration,

In SRI plants, 3.6 millimols of CO2 are fixed

In RMP plants, 1.6 millimols of CO2 are fixed

Many versions of SRI:• In China, many different innovations:

• Triangular spacing, raised beds/no-till; now also plastic mulch on raised beds

• In Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, India: rainfed/upland SRI – no irrigation

• In India, Thailand, Sri Lanka: getting direct-seeded SRI - no transplanting

• In Pakistan, Costa Rica, India: have mechanized SRI - reducing labor-intensity

•In India, Mali, Ethiopia: other crops - wheat, sugar cane, millet, maize, etc.

Liu Zhibin, Meishan, Sichuan province, China, standing in raised-bed, zero-till SRI field; measured yield 13.4 t/ha;his SRI yield in 2001 (16 t/ha) set provincial yield record

Science and Technology Daily, Chengdu - 26 June 2009

“A New Technology Saves Millions in Paddy Fields in Drought Season in Sichuan Province” – Sheng Li

• Yield per mu in this drought-prone area is normally 300 kg (4.5 t/ha); with new methods it can exceed 500-600 kg/mu (7.7-9.0 t/ha), and can even reach 800 kg/mu (12 t/ha).

• Cost of mulching with new methods is 40 ¥/mu; but costs of weeding, land preparation, fertilizer and irrigation are decreased by 230 ¥/mu

• Net income can increase with higher yield by 460 ¥/mu ($1,015/hectare) – while using less water

Rainfed/upland SRIUtilize monsoon or other

rainfall:1. Change WATER management

- no hoarding of rain water

2. Change NURSERY management – plant several staggered nurseries – expect to use only one of them

3. Increase soil organic matter for soil structure & water retention

INDIA: Cultivation costs & net profitsSubject SRI (Rs) Conv (Rs)

Land preparation 2,800 2,800

Seed 45 450

Labour (8) 400 750

DAP-75kg 750 750

Urea -50Kg 310 310

Weeding 600 1,000

Harvesting 420 420

Tractor hiring charges 450 450

Threshing 1,200 1,200

TOTAL COST 6,975 8,130

Irrigation - alternate (hrs) 3 7

Yield (bags) 39 32

Tons/ha 2.73 2.24

GROSS PROFIT 25,389 20,832

NET PROFIT 18,414 12,702

Direct-seeding for SRI

• Sow pre-germinated seed in square pattern – Cuba, India, Thailand

• Broadcast of pregerminated seed and thin out plants by weeding – Sri Lanka

• Parachute method – Iran, elsewhere? (but spacing is not regular)

Seeder Developed in Cuba

INDIA: Southern Andhra PradeshDirect-seeder at KVK

Mechanization of SRI

• Need to reduce labor requirements in many places

• Interesting developments in Costa Rica, Pakistan and other countries• Mechanical transplanting• Mechanical land preparation• Mechanical weeding

Mechanical transplanter in Costa Rica

8 t/ha yield vs. 4.2 t/ha before

Costa Rica – mechanized SRI crop

8 t/ha yield without fertilizer

IRAQ: Comparison trials at Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf

Mechanical transplanting with SRI spacing in Iraq

Pakistan, Punjab Province:

Raised beds (dry) formed on laser-leveled fields

Multi-function transplanting machine: laborers drop 10-day seedlings into holes; machine sprays water into

holes and bands compost and fertilizer

Weeder/soil aerator:removes weeds and

breaks soil crust for 9 inch (22.5cm) spacing

Growing crop – reached 90 tillers at 72 days

SRI Methods in DifferentAgroecosystems

• Tropical environment – Indonesia/Aceh

• Extreme mountain environment – Afghanistan

• Benign mountain environment – Bhutan

• Desert environment - Mali

‘Rice Aplenty in Aceh

(Indonesia)’

CARITAS NEWSSpring 2009

SRI methods were introduced in Aceh in 2005 by CARITAS Australia after tsunami had devastated the area – new methods raised local rice yields from 2 t/ha to 8.5

t/ha: “Using less rice seed, less water and organic compost, farmers in Aceh have

quadrupled their crop production.”

2009 Report from Aga Khan

Foundation: Baghlan Province,

Afghanistan

2008: 6 farmers got SRI yields of 10.1 t/ha vs. 5.4 t/ha regular2009: 42 farmers got SRI yields of 9.3 t/ha vs. 5.6 t/ha regular

2nd year SRI farmers got 13.3 t/ha vs. 5.6 t/ha1st year SRI farmers got 8.7 t/ha vs. 5.5 t/ha

AFGHANISTAN: SRI field in Baghlan Province, supported by Aga Khan Foundation Natural Resource Management

program

SRI field at 30 days

SRI plant with 133 tillers @

72 days after transplanting

11.56 t/ha

BHUTAN: Report on SRI in Deorali Geog, 2009

Sangay Dorji, Jr. Extension Agent, Deorali Georg, Dagana

SRI @ 25x25cm 9.5 t/ha SRI random spacing 6.0 t/ha

SRI @ 30x30cm 10.0 t/ha Standard practice 3.6 t/ha

MALI: SRI nursery in Timbuktu region – 8-day seedlings ready for transplanting

SRI transplanting in Timbuktu, Mali

MALI: Farmer in Timbuktu region

showing difference between regular

and SRI rice plants --

2007: SRI yield was 8.98 t/ha

  SRI ControlFarmer Practice

Yield t/ha* 9.1 5.49 4.86Standard Error (SE) 0.24 0.27 0.18% Change compared to Control + 66 100 - 11% Change compared to Farmer Practice

+ 87 + 13 100

Number of Farmers

53 53 60

• * adjusted to 14% grain moisture content

Rice grain yield for SRI plots, control plots and farmer-practice plots,

Goundam circle, Timbuktu region, Mali, 2008

Normal 3-S

3-S rice-growing method developed by Prof. Jin Xueyong,

Northeast Agricultural University, Haerbin, Heilungjiong

3-S seedlings are started at the end of winter in plastic

greenhouses

Seedling for Seedling for transplanting -- and transplanting -- and

resulting plantresulting plant

3-S has good grain quality

Importance of Soil Aeration

• Stimulate aerobic soil organisms as they are critical for soil fertility• Nitrogen fixation - nitrifiers• Phosphorus solubilization –

phosphobacteria• Mycorrhyzal fungi – access water, P, etc.• Nutrient cycling – protozoa, nematodes• Induced systemic resistance (ISR)

Soil-aerating hand weeder in Sri Lanka costing <$10

Effects of Active Soil Aeration with Mechanical

WeederMechanical Weedings

(N) Yield (t ha-1)

MADAGASCAR: 1997-98 main season -- Ambatovaky (N=76)

None 2 5.97One 8 7.72Two 27 7.37

Three 24 9.12Four 15 11.77

NEPAL: 2006 monsoon season – Morang district (N=412)One 32 5.16

(3.6 – 7.6)

Two 366 5.87(3.5 – 11.0)

Three 14 7.87(5.85 – 10.4)

Why Is ‘Weeding’ So Important?

Not just to control weeds; also benefit from green-manure effect of weeds

Promotion of beneficial soil organisms, both bacteria and fungi (mycorrhizae)

These organisms are functioning not only in the soil -- but also in the plant

• As symbiotic endophytes in ROOTS• Also as endophytes in the LEAVES• Even as endophytes in the seed coat!

Microbial populations in rice rhizosphere

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University research

Microorganisms

Conventional

SRI

Total bacteria 88 x 106 105 x 106

Azospirillum 8 x 105 31 x 105

Azotobacter 39 x 103 66 x 103

Phosphobacteria

33 x 103 59 x 103

T. M. Thiyagarajan, WRRC presentation, Tsukuba, Japan, 2004

Total bacteria Total diazotrophs

Microbial populations in rhizosphere soil in rice crop under different management at active tillering, panicle initiation and flowering (SRI = yellow; conventional = red)

[units are √ transformed values of population/gram of dry soil]

Phosphobacteria \ Azotobacter

Total microbes and numbers of beneficial microbes (CFU g-1) under conventional and

SRI cultivation methods, Tanjung Sari, Bogor, Indonesia, Feb-Aug 2009 (Iswandi

et al., 2009)Cultivation

method and fertilization

Total microbes

(x105)

Azoto-bacter(x103)

Azospi-rillum(x103)

P-solubilizing bacteria

(x104)

Conventional crop mgmt with NPK

2.3a 1.9a 0.9a 3.3a

Inorganic SRI (NPK fertilizer)

2.7a 2.2a 1.7ab 4.0a

Organic SRI (compost)

3.8b 3.7b 2.8bc 5.9b

Inorganic SRI + biofertilizer

4.8c 4.4b 3.3c 6.4b

Ascending Migration of Endophytic Rhizobia, from Roots and Leaves, inside Rice Plants and Assessment of Benefits to

Rice Growth Physiology Feng Chi et al.,Applied and Envir. Microbiology 71 (2005),

7271-7278Rhizo-bium test strain

Total plant root

volume/pot (cm3)

Shoot dry weight/ pot (g)

Net photo-synthetic

rate (μmol-2 s-1)

Water utilization efficiency

Area (cm2) of flag leaf

Grain yield/ pot (g)

Ac-ORS571 210 ± 36A 63 ± 2A 16.42 ± 1.39A 3.62 ± 0.17BC 17.64 ± 4.94ABC 86 ± 5A

SM-1021 180 ± 26A 67 ± 5A 14.99 ± 1.64B 4.02 ± 0.19AB 20.03 ± 3.92A 86 ± 4A

SM-1002 168 ± 8AB 52 ± 4BC 13.70 ± 0.73B 4.15 ± 0.32A 19.58 ± 4.47AB 61 ± 4B

R1-2370 175 ± 23A 61 ± 8AB 13.85 ± 0.38B 3.36 ± 0.41C 18.98 ± 4.49AB 64 ± 9B

Mh-93 193 ± 16A 67 ± 4A 13.86 ± 0.76B 3.18 ± 0.25CD 16.79 ± 3.43BC 77 ± 5A

Control 130 ± 10B 47 ± 6C 10.23 ± 1.03C 2.77 ± 0.69D 15.24 ± 4.0C 51 ± 4C

Data are based on the average linear root and shoot growth of three symbiotic (dashed line) and three nonsymbiotic (solid line) plants.

Arrows indicate the times when root hair development started.

Ratio of root and shoot growth in symbiotic and nonsymbiotic rice plants -- symbiotic plant seeds were inoculated with Fusarium culmorum

Russell J. Rodriguez et al., ‘Symbiotic regulation of plant growth, development and reproduction,’

Communicative and Integrative Biology, 2:3 (2009).

Growth of nonsymbiotic (on left) and symbiotic (on right) rice seedlings. On growth of endophyte (F. culmorum) and plant

inoculation procedures, see Rodriguez et al., Communicative and Integrative Biology, 2:3 (2009).

Estimated marginal value product of nitrogen fertilizer (Kshs/kg N) conditional on plot soil carbon

content(Marenya and Barrett, AJAE, 2009)

Plot content (%) of soil organic carbon (SOC)

In Western Kenya, applying N fertilizer to soil with < 3-4% SOC does not repay farmers’

expenditure

PERFORMANCE OF SCI PERFORMANCE OF SCI CROPS DURING DROUGHT CROPS DURING DROUGHT

SEASON 2009SEASON 2009 Experiences from Himachal Pradesh & Experiences from Himachal Pradesh & UttarakhandUttarakhand

PEOPLE’S SCIENCE INSTITUTE, DEHRADUNPEOPLE’S SCIENCE INSTITUTE, DEHRADUN

Up-scaling of SRI in Himachal Up-scaling of SRI in Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand, 2006-08Pradesh & Uttarakhand, 2006-08

Particulars 2006 2007 2008

Conv. SRI Conv. SRI Conv. SRINo. of farmers (villages)

40 (25) 591 (133) 12,214 (496)

Area (ha) - 0.95 - 15.00 252.98Average grain yield (t/ha) 3.15 5.25 2.85 5.40 3.95 6.05% increase in grain yield

- 67 - 89 - 53

Average straw yield (t/ha) 5.8 7.25 5.5 7.35 11.0 14.5% increase in straw yield

- 25 - 34 - 31

Average SRI increase in grain yield has been about 70 per cent --Average SRI increase in grain yield has been about 70 per cent --SRI concepts and methods now being applied to OTHER CROPSSRI concepts and methods now being applied to OTHER CROPS

SRI Comparative Crop-Cut Results, SRI Comparative Crop-Cut Results, 20092009Normal (2006-2008) Drought (2009)

Conv. SRI Conv. SRI

No. of effective tillers/ plant 7 21 5 18Average plant height (cm) 99 122 88 102Average panicle length (cm) 18 24 19 25Average no. of grains/panicle 93 177 90 174

Grain yield (t/ha) 3.6 5.5 2.5 4.8Straw yield (t/ha) 11.1 14.5 5.1 8.5** In this drought year, grain yields of conventional crop decreased by 31%, as compared to a reduction of only 13% in the SRI crop** Conventional yields stood close to 2.5 tons per ha while SRI yields were 4.8 tons per ha -- 92% higher

Experiments on System of Crop Experiments on System of Crop Intensification (SCI), 2009Intensification (SCI), 2009

Crops Total Farmers

Area(in Ha)

Maize 183 10.34

Kidney bean (Rajma) 679 14.01Sesame (Til) 22 0.41Finger millet (Mandwa) 340 8.04Black gram (Urad) 314 2.00Soyabean 77 2.47Tomato 45 4.36French bean 44 0.35

1,704 41.98

Finger Millet Maize

Conv. SCI Conv. SCIAve. ears/plant (cobs/plant) 3 5 2 3Average plant height (cm) 69.5 88.5 149.4 173.7Ave. no. of grains /ear (kernels/cob)

290 428 225 248

Grain yield (T/ha) 1.2 1.8 17.1 22.9% increase in grain yield - 50% - 34%

Results of SCI with Finger Millet & Maize, Results of SCI with Finger Millet & Maize, Kharif 2009Kharif 2009

ICRISAT-WWF Sugarcane

Initiative: at least 20% more cane

yield, with: • 30% reduction in water, and • 25% reduction in chemical inputs

‘The inspiration for putting this package together is from the successful approach of SRI – System of Rice Intensification.’

INDONESIA – Starting with

four-day seedlings

Transplanting four-day seedlings

Fields transplanted with four-day seedlings

Comparison of SRI and usual rice plants –

Miyatty Jannah, Crawuk village,

Ngawi, E. Java

SRI is pointing the way toward a paradigm shift toward ‘post-modern agriculture’ – the most modern agriculture• Less genocentric -- more fundamentally biocentric• Understanding epigenetics• Re-focus biotechnology and bioengineering to capitalize on benefits of biodiversity and ecological dynamics• Less chemical-dependent -- more energy-efficient• More oriented to health of humans and the environment• Focus on greater factor productivity and sustainability

THANK YOU

• Check out SRI website: http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/

• Email: ciifad@cornell.edu

• or ntu1@cornell.edu