Integrated Crop Management (ICM) for sustaining irrigated rice yield= and farmers’ income in Asia

Integrated Cr= op Management (ICM) for sustaining irrigated rice yield and farmers’ inc= ome in Asia

V. Balasubram= anian¹, R. Rajendran³, S. Anbumani², P. Stalin³, T= .M. Thiyagarajan, E. Castro¹, B. Chandrasekara= n⁴, and I. Las⁵=

¹⁼I= nternational Rice Research Institute (IRRI), DAPO Box 7777, Metro Man= ila, Philippines.<= o:p>

²⁼S= oil and Water Management Research Institute (SWMRI), Thanj= avur 613010, India.<= o:p>

³Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TNRRI), Aduthurai 612101, India.

⁴Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore 641003, India.

⁵⁼I= ndonesian Research Institute for Rice, Sukamandi, West Java, Indonesia.<= o:p>

Farmers face multiple problems to intensify rice farm= ing in the face of declining resources and increasing need for protecting the environment. The integrated crop management (ICM) approach helps farmers to integrate the best production and post-production technologies to improve c= rop health, increase productivity, enhance grain quality and market value, and = earn more income from rice farming. Farmers can choose from a basket of options those that are most suitable for their farming needs and conditions. Farmers practicing ICM in four countries have increased their rice yield by 1.0 to = 2.2 Mg ha^-1 and their net income by US$100 to US$277 ha^-1= per season. Thus, the ICM approach is most suited to small-scale farmers in Asia and Africa. Research is ongoing to quant= ify the factor productivity for land, water, labor, and fertilizers under ICM, = and to develop new mechanized options for rice crop establishment. Direct mechanized dibbling of dry seed with controlled irrigation and mechanized inter-row cultivation for weed control will be the way forward for the futu= re.

ICM and ICM Options

Farmers’ problems have become increasingly comp= lex with the intensification of rice farming in Asia. We need integrated solutions to solve their problems and to improve their r= ice productivity and profit further. Several productivity- and profit-enhancing technologies have been developed by researchers; what is critical now is to= integrate these technologies into a basket of options and let farmers choose what they see most important for them. Integrating and applying several best manageme= nt practices (BMPs) simultaneously is termed as “integrated crop management” (ICM). In practical terms, ICM mea= ns “integrated use of compatible technologies that meet farmers’ n= eeds and enhance their productivity and income”. Two sets of options are identified for ICM: core and location specific. Core options are those that perform similarly in multiple locations, for example, locally adapted varie= ty, good quality seed, robust young seedlings, crop need-based nutrient application, and integrated pest management (IPM). Location-specific options are those that perform differently at different locations or that can be practiced only in certain locations; plant spacing, intermittent irrigation, use of organic manures, etc., are location-specific. In addition, we need to improve the post-harvest processing to enhance the quality and market value= of the produce (IRRI, 2005). These options have to be selected to meet farmers’ needs in each location; they must also be updated periodical= ly to incorporate new technologies as they become available (Balasubramanian et al. 2005).

On-farm evalu= ation of ICM

Based on their farming constraints and needs, farmers= are free to choose suitable options and apply them simultaneously to increase t= heir rice productivity and income. This approach was evaluated in farmers’ fields in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines (2001-2004) (Thiyagarajan et al. 2002; Balasubramanian et al., 2005; Ch= andrasekaran et al. 2005; Balasubramanian 2006; Rajendran et al. 2006). ICM practices increased rice = yields by 1.0 t/ ha to 2.2 t/ha, reduced the seedling-production cost by about 50%, and used 25-30% less water in contrast to currently recommended conventional rice cultivation (CRC). The higher yields in ICM fields were due to 35% to = 49% more panicles per unit area and 23% to 44% more filled grains per panicle (= Balasubramanian et al. 2005). Overall, the additional profit due to ICM increased from US$114 to US$277/ ha/ season. McDonald arg= ues that step-wise improvements in crop management through ICM can reduce yield gaps in small rice farms of Asia and Africa (McDonald 2006).

Lessons learn= t working with farmers

Working with farmers in different Asian countries we = have learnt the following lessons:

Farmers easily adopted locally preferred variety and = good quality seed at low seed rate. Adoption was medium for modified mat nursery= and seedlings at 4-leaf stage, planting in rows at 2 seedlings per hill with a spacing of 20 x 20 cm to 25 x 25 cm or paired rows (le= gowo), nutrient addition through manures + fertilizers, mechanical weeding + soil stirring, and intermittent irrigation where possible. They more or less rejected planting single seedling per hill, use of only organic manures or composts, and wider spacing of 30 x 30 cm to 50 x 50 cm because they increa= sed weed problems, led to staggered maturity, and reduced yields.

Research need= s

Additional research is needed on mechanical weeding + soil stirring in relation to root growth and grain yield in different soil types and higher tillering in relation to grain filling, grain weight, and sterility. We need to quantify water, land, and = labor productivity and nutrient use efficiency. The relative numbers and diversit= y of microorganisms, presence of enzymes, and nutrient release patterns in rice = rhizosphere under ICM have to be characterized. Sustainability issues that need additional attention are (a) grain yield tr= ends with time, (b) emergence of weeds, pests and diseases; and (c) nutrient min= ing under ICM (Balasubramanian, 2006).

In terms of moving forward, we need to develop dry seeding systems that can be easily mechanized to reduce drudgery and to make rice cultivation attractive to the next generation of farmers. For dry seed= ing systems, we need to use controlled traffic direct dibbling of 2-3 seeds per hill at predetermined spacing; place fertilizers in seed rows; develop appropriate inter-row cultivation to uproot weeds, stir soil, and to reduce seepage. After crop emergence, initial flooding for 15 to 20 days may be ne= eded to suppress weeds and to avoid micronutrient problems; later sprinkler or d= rip irrigation can be used.

Conclusions

= Practical and farmer-acceptable rice production technology options have been developed and deployed effectively through the ICM approach to enhance rice productiv= ity and farmers’ income. Farmers are increasingly adopting the ICM in India, Ind= onesia, and the Philippines, a= nd it is being introduced to Bangladesh and East Timor. It has a high potential = for small-scale farmers in Africa and elsewh= ere.