System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Sistema Intensivo de Cultivo Arrocero (SICA)

Erika Styger, SRI-RiceCornell University, USA

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

SICA: Sistema Intensivo de Cultivo Arrocero

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

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

SRI in Latin America

• Cuba 2000/2001 9.5 t/ha vs 6.5 t/ha• Peru 2002/2003 9-11t/ha vs 6.0 t/ha• Brazil 2007 6.2 t/ha vs 5.7 t/ha• Colombia 2007 8.1 t/ha vs 6.9 t/ha• Costa Rica 2008 8-10t/ha vs 4.2 t/ha• Ecuador 2008 8.8 t/ha vs 3.8 t/ha• Panama 2008 5.2 t/ha vs 3.6 t/ha• Haiti 2011 8.8 t/ha vs 3.9 t/ha• Dominican Republic 2011 – first crop planted

Additional Benefits of SRI

1. Reduced inputs– Seeds by 80-90% (6-10kg/ha vs 60 kg)

– Water by 30-50%

– Chemical inputs: significantly or eliminated

2. Costs (-20% to -40%)

3. Income increase >30-100%

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 )

TransplantingCareful and fast transplanting, shallow transplanting

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

Application of Organic Material

• Is the base for sustainable soil management • Improves microbial life in the soil • Organic matter, aerated soil and application of the

cono-weeder favors nutrient availability for the rice crop

Manure / compost Crop residues Green manure (Gliricidia sp)

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

• 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

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

Decreased use in pesticides– With larger spacing and line

planting: air can circulate between rows

• Less humid micro environment• Reduction in fungal diseases

– Stronger plants (bigger roots, thicker stems) resist pest and diseases better

– Vietnam and Cambodia: reduction in pesticides

Sheath blight disease

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 - minimum-till, permanent raised beds – organic fertilization

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

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

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

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

Sugarcane

With SRI method

Yields are by 20-50% improved

30% reduction in water

use

25% reduction in chemical fertilizer

Developed in India

Challenges and opportunities• 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

• Opportunity: SRI is a methodology to be adapted to local conditions

Conclusions 1st SRI Workshop in Latin America

• Technical documentation in Spanish language to be made available

• Networking platform (google-group list-serve) to be activated

• Inviting interested parties to become members of Network

• Evaluation, demonstration in La Flor to be expanded (Earth, INTA, private sector)

• Project proposals to be developed and submitted at country and regional level

SRI farmers from the village of Donghoi, Timbuktu, Mali

Muchas gracias!

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