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

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The 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

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What 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

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For 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

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Different 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

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SRI 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.

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Cambodian farmer with rice plant grown from
single seed, using SRI methods and traditional
variety
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Comparison of Dry Matter Accumulation(kg ha-1)
for SRI vs. Control (CK) Practicesat Maturity
(Zheng et al., SAAS, 2003)
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Figure 1. Change of leaf area index (LAI) during
growth cycle (Zheng et al., 2003)

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Root Oxygenation Ability with SRI vs.
Conventionally-Grown RiceResearch done at
Nanjing Agricultural University,Wuxianggeng 9
variety (Wang et al. 2002)
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Plant Physical Structure and Light Intensity
Distribution at Heading Stage (Tao et al.,
CNRRI, 2002)
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47.9
34.7
Non-Flooding Rice Farming Technology in Irrigated
Paddy Field, Dr. Tao Longxing, China National
Rice Research Institute, 2004
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Roots of a single rice plant (MTU 1071) grown at
Agricultural Research Station Maruteru, AP,
India, 2003 season
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Two 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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Figure 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)
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Madagascar -- SRI field at Ambatovy, 2003
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Sri Lanka SRI field, 2002, with yield of 13 t
ha-1
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Cuba -- CPA Camilo Cienfuegos cooperative -- 14 t
ha-1
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China -- SRI rice field, hybrid variety, Yunnan,
2004 18 t ha-1
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The 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

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Fr. de Laulanié not long before he died in 1995
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Sebastien Rafaralahy and Justin
Rabenandrasana, president and secretary of
Association Tefy Saina
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SRI 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

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Roller-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)
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Seeder developed by Luis Romero, Cuba, for
planting pregerminated seed, sowing 40x40 cm
(too wide)
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4-row weeder designed by Gopal Swaminathan, Tamil
Nadu, India
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Motorized weeder developed by S. Ariyaratna, Sri
Lanka
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SRI 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

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LESS 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

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What 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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CAU 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

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Xinsheng 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
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Advantages 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?

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Two rice fields in Sri Lanka -- same
variety, same irrigation system, and same drought
conventional methods (left), SRI (right)
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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
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SRI 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

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THANK YOUEmail ciifad_at_cornell.eduor
tefysaina.tnr_at_simicro.mgWeb page
http//ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/
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Effects of SRI vs. Conventional
PracticesComparing Varietal and Soil Differences
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