Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T02:08:53.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Soil fertility and the yield response to the System of Rice Intensification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2011

Marie-Soleil Turmel ,
Benjamin L. Turner  and
Joann K. Whalen
Marie-Soleil Turmel
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama. Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada.
Benjamin L. Turner
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
Joann K. Whalen*
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a low-input rice (Oryza sativa L.) production system that differs from conventional systems in several ways: seedlings are transplanted earlier and are more widely spaced, organic fertilizer is often used in addition to mineral fertilizer, and soils are irrigated intermittently rather than flooded for long periods. The yield benefits of SRI compared to conventional systems can be substantial, and yet are regionally variable and have been the subject of considerable debate, due partly to a lack of mechanistic understanding. Here we show that soil properties may in part explain the variability in yield response to SRI. A meta-analysis of data from 72 field studies where SRI was compared with conventional systems indicates that yields increased significantly (P<0.0001) when SRI was implemented on highly weathered infertile soils rich in iron and aluminum oxides (Acrisols and Ferralsols), but there was no difference in yield between SRI and conventional systems in more fertile favorable soils for rice production (Gleysols, Luvisols and Fluvisols). The yield difference between SRI and conventional rice production therefore appears to be related in part to soil properties linked to weathering. This should help resolve the debate about the value of SRI and allow research to be targeted toward understanding the biological and chemical processes in soils under SRI management.

Keywords

System of Rice Intensificationhighly weathered soilsmarginal soilslow-input rice production
Type
Preliminary Report
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 185 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Food and Agriculture Organization. 2006. World Agriculture: Towards 2030/2050. Interim Report. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.Google Scholar
2International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). 2008. Executive Summary of the Synthesis Report. Johannesburg, South Africa.Google Scholar
3Barison, J. 2003. Nutrient-use efficiency and nutrient uptake in conventional and intensive (SRI) rice cultivation systems in Madagascar. MSc thesis, Cornell University.Google Scholar
4Randriamiharisoa, R., Barison, J., and Uphoff, N. 2006. Soil biological contributions to the System of Rice Intensification. In Uphoff, N., Ball, A.S., Fernandes, E., Herren, H., Husson, O., Laing, M., Palm, C., Pretty, J. and Sanchez, P. (eds). Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL. p. 409–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Stoop, W.A., Uphoff, N., and Kassam, A. 2002. A review of agricultural research issues raised by the system of rice intensification (SRI) from Madagascar: opportunities for improving farming systems for resource-poor farmers. Agricultural Systems 71:249–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Surridge, C. 2004. Rice cultivation: Feast or famine? Nature 428:360–361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Stoop, W.A. and Kassam, A.H. 2005. The SRI controversy: a response. Field Crops Research 91:357–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Uphoff, N., Kassam, A., and Stoop, W. 2008. A critical assessment of a desk study comparing crop production systems: The example of the system of rice intensification versus best management practice. Field Crops Research 108:109–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Sheehy, J.E., Sinclair, T.R., and Cassman, K.G. 2005. Curiosities, nonsense, non-science and SRI. Field Crops Research 91:355–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Sheehy, J.E., Peng, S., Dobermann, A., Mitchell, P.L., Ferrer, A., Yang, J.C., Zou, Y.B., Zhong, X.H., and Huang, J.L. 2004. Fantastic yields in the system of rice intensification: fact or fallacy? Field Crops Research 88:1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11McDonald, A.J., Hobbs, P.R., and Riha, S.J. 2006. Does the system of rice intensification outperform conventional best management? A synopsis of the empirical record. Field Crops Research 96:31–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Hengsdijk, H. and Bindraban, P. 2004. Rice: location is vital in crop management. Nature 429:803.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Dobermann, A. 2004. A critical assessment of the system of rice intensification (SRI). Agricultural Systems 79:261–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Turner, B.L., Frossard, E., and Oberson, A. 2006. Enhancing phosphorus availability in low-fertility soils. In Uphoff, N., Ball, A.S., Fernandes, E., Herren, H., Husson, O., Laing, M., Palm, C., Pretty, J. and Sanchez, P. (eds). Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL. p. 191–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Sinha, S.K. and Talati, J. 2007. Productivity impacts of the system of rice intensification (SRI): A case study in West Bengal, India. Agricultural Water Management 87:55–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Vijayakumar, M., Sundar Singh, S.D., Prabhakaran, N.K., and Thiyagarajan, T.M. 2005. Effect of SRI (System of Rice Intensification) practices on the yield attributes, yield and water productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Acta Agronomica Hungarica 52:9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Latif, M.A., Islam, M.R., Ali, M.Y., and Saeque, M.A. 2005. Validation of the system of rice intensification (SRI) in Bangladesh. Field Crops Research 93:281–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Thakur, A.K., Uphoff, N., and Antony, E. 2009. An assessment of physiological effects of system of rice intensification practices compared with recommended rice cultivation practices in India. Experimental Agriculture 46:77–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Zhao, L., Wu, L., Li, Y., Lu, X., Zhu, D., and Uphoff, N. 2009. Influence of the system of rice intensification on the rice yield and nitrogen and water use efficiency with different application rates. Experimental Agriculture 45:275–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Driessen, P., Deckers, J., Spaargaren, O., and Nachtergaele, F. (eds)2001. Lecture Notes on the Major Soils of the World. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.Google Scholar
21Sanchez, P.A. 1976. Properties and Management of Soils in the Tropics. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.Google Scholar
22Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). 2000. System of Rice Intensification: A New Approach to Raise the Production of Rice. Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Comilla, Bangladesh.Google Scholar
23Shengfu, A., Xiehu, W., Zhongjiong, X., Shixiu, X., Chanquan, L., and Yangchang, L. 2002. In Uphoff, N., Fernandes, E., Longping, Y., Jiming, P., Rafaralahy, S. and Rabenandrasana, J. (eds). Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Conference Proceedings, Sanya, China, 1–4 April.Google Scholar
24M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). 2002. SRI Experiences During the Samba Season of 2002 at Pondicherry. Pondicherry, India.Google Scholar
25Randriamiharisoa, R. and Uphoff, N. 2002. Factorial Trials Evaluating the Separate and Combined Effects of SRI Practices. Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development, Ithaca.Google Scholar
26Nissanka, S. and Bandara, T. 2004. Comparison of productivity of system of rice intensification and conventional rice farming in the dry-zone region of Sri Lanka, Fourth International Crop Science Congress, Brisbane, Australia.Google Scholar
27Gypmantasiri, P. 2002. In Uphoff, N., Fernandes, E., Longping, Y., Jiming, P., Rafaralahy, S. and Rabenandrasana, J. (eds). Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Conference Proceedings, Sanya, China. 1–4 April.Google Scholar
28Hedges, L.V., Gurevitch, J., and Curtis, P.S. 1999. The meta-analysis of response ratios in experimental ecology. Ecology 80:1150–1156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Olaleye, A.O., Tabi, F.O., Ogunkunle, A.O., Singh, B.N., and Sahrawat, K.L. 2001. Effect of toxic iron concentrations on the growth of lowland rice. Journal of Plant Nutrition 24:441–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Tiessen, H. 1998. Resilience of phosphorus transformations in tropical forest and derived ecosystems. In Schulte, A. and Ruhiyat, D. (eds). Soils of Tropical Forest Ecosystems: Characteristics, Ecology and Management. Springer, Berlin. p. 92–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Walker, T.W. and Syers, J.K. 1976. Fate of phosphorus during pedogensis. Geoderma 15:1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Nziguheba, G., Palm, C.A., Buresh, R.J., and Smithson, P.C. 1998. Soil phosphorus fractions and adsorption as affected by organic and inorganic sources. Plant and Soil 198:159–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Oberson, A., Friesen, D.K., Rao, I.M., Buhler, S., and Frossard, E. 2001. Phosphorus transformations in an Oxisol under contrasting land-use systems: The role of the soil microbial biomass. Plant and Soil 237:197–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Turner, B.L. and Haygarth, P.M. 2001. Biogeochemistry – phosphorus solubilization in rewetted soils. Nature 411:258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35CIIFAD. 2010. Available from Web site http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/countries/index.html (accessed February 8, 2011).Google Scholar
36Kabir, H. 2006. Adaptation and adoption of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Myanmar using the Farmer Field School (FFS) Approach. PhD dissertation thesis, University of Honolulu.Google Scholar
37Ceesay, M.M. 2002. In Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Sanya, China.Google Scholar
38Khalifa, S. 2006. Second Phase Experiments of SRI in Loamy Sand Area Upper Sabangida – Kunduna State of Nigeria. Ahmadu Bello University, Sabon Gari.Google Scholar
39Sato, S. and Comerford, N.B. 2008. In The non-recoverable phosphorus following sorption onto a Brazilian Ultisol. Biology and Fertility of Soils 44:649–652.Google Scholar
40The Peoples Science Institute. 2007. The System of Rice Intensification. The Peoples Science Institute, Uttarakhand, India.Google Scholar
41Larijani, B.A. 2007. Report on System on Rice Intensification in Iran. Agronomy Group, Haraz Technology Development and Extension Center, Amol, Mazandaran, Iran.Google Scholar
42Gani, A., Kadir, T.S., Jatiharti, A., Wardhana, I.P., and Las, I. 2002. In Uphoff, N., Fernandes, E., Longping, Y., Jiming, P., Rafaralahy, S. and Rabenandrasana, J. (eds). Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Conference Proceedings, Sanya, China, 1–4 April.Google Scholar
43Das, L. 2003. Verification and Refinement of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Selected Areas of Bangladesh. SAFE Development Group, Dhanmondi, Bangladesh.Google Scholar
44Schiller, J.M. 2004. System of Rice Intesification – SRI – Suitability for Lowland Rice Production in the Lao PDR. National Agricultural Research Center, Laos.Google Scholar
45Shao-hua, W., Weixing, C., Dong, J., Tingboo, D., and Yan, Z. 2002. In Uphoff, N., Fernandes, E., Longping, Y., Jiming, P., Rafaralahy, S. and Rabenandrasana, J. (eds). Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Conference Proceedings, Sanya, China, 1–4 April.Google Scholar
46Hameed, K.A. and Jaber, F.A. 2007. System of rice intensification in Iraq during 2007. Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf, Iraq.Google Scholar
47Evans, C., Justice, S., and Shrestha, S. 2002. In Uphoff, N., Fernandes, E., Longping, Y., Jiming, P., Rafaralahy, S. and Rabenandrasana, J. (eds). Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Conference Proceedings, Sanya, China, 1–4 April.Google Scholar
48Stoop, W.A. 2002. The ‘system of rice intensification’ (SRI); results from exploratory field research in Ivory Coast: further research requirements and prospects for adaptation to divers agroecosystems. West African Rice Development Association, Bouake, Ivory Coast.Google Scholar
49Rickman, J.F. 2002. Preliminary Results Rice Production and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos.Google Scholar