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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: joann.whalen@mcgill.ca
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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

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