System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Bishnupur district

Dr Ishok Romen *

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a method of rice cultivation. It was introduced by Fr Henry DC laurenic of Madagascar in the year 1983. It is very useful practice for increasing rice yield per unit area. It requires less seed rate, less use of water and less cost of cultivation. It gives more yield and makes sustainable due to the use of organic manure instead of chemical fertilizers and PP chemicals.

People's Resource Development Association (PRDA), Bishnupur also introducing this method of SRI for the first time in the district as demonstration to farmers. In Manipur, this method was started 2 years back in the year 2007 & 2008 in few places successfully.

Now the area under SRI method has been increasing in valley districts of Manipur also especially in Thoubal District with the initiative of KVK Thoubal. Now the farmers of Thoubal area are aware of SRI method yet beginning in Bishnupur district.

In an interview Mr L Suranjoy Singh, Secretary of PRDA, Bishnupur says, in our PRDA project areas we have implemented SRI to 20 farmers under RNBA/JJJ, project in this Kharif season as a pilot project. The SRI project is sponsored by Sir Doraji Tata trust, Mumbai.

The objective of the implementing SRI is to increase rice yield and to get food security to small and marginal farmers. SRI implemented 20 farmers under PRDA ishnupur is divided into groups, i.e terrace group and wetland group comprising of ten farmers each.

Terrace group is lying at the foot hills of Charoi Khullen and Kha-aimol of Churachandpur district partly whereas wetland, groups are lying at the Ishok, Nambol paddy fields, and PRDA organised two workshop on SRI and SRI data collection at RCDS training centre, Bishnupur.

Basic principles of SRI are

• use of organic manure,
• use of young seedlings for transplanting,
• careful transplanting,
• use of rotary weeder,
• planting at wider spacing,
• water management.

Nursery raising and transplanting:

Prepare the land thoroughly when dry. Apply FYM and puddles well. Then, make beds of 1 meter width convenient length. The seed bed should be prepared as closely as possible to the main field so as to minimize transport time between removal of seedlings from the bed and transplanting in the field.

After seeding the seeds are to be soaked in water for separating the chafty grain. After separating the chafty grain, the seeds are to be soaked directly in fungicide solution for 24 hrs. After soaking 24 hrs and incubating 2 days, the sporting seeds are to be soaked directly in insecticide solution for 3 hrs, drained the water and keep in shade for sometime. Sow the treated seeds sparsely in nursery bed. Cover the seeds with a layer of FYM/compost. Cover again with straw.

Sprinkle water at least 2 times in the morning and evening using water cane upto 3-4 days. Remove straw after 4 days. Uproot the seedings gently using steel plate or wooden sheet. Transplant the seedlings within 8-12 days in the market hill. Transplant the single into the marked field.

Preparation of main field:

Plough the field thoroughly. Puddle it as is done with the conventional method. At every two meter interval, make 30 cm wide channels. To make channels, place sticks at appropriate interval (i.e. 2m, 30 cm) along the edge of the field. Level the field thoroughly.

Then take a rake that has teeth at 25 cm apart, which can be constructed simply from wood or bamboo. It is pulled across the surface of the prepared muddy field making lines on the surface at 20 cm intervals. It can use roller make which is constructed by iron.

Remove seedlings from nursery with seed, soil and roots intact carefully and plant it in the field without plunging too deep into the soil. The seed should be attached to the seedlings and transplanted as soon as possible.

The root tips should not inverted as usually happened during the hurried, rough transplanting done in the conventional method. If the root tip was turned onward for the tip to reorient itself downward and resume growth.

Winder spacing:

Seeding at 25x25 cm or 30x30 cm wide.

Weeding :

No standing water in rice field under SRI method, weed growth is very high. Use rotary weeder to chum the soil for weed control. Rotate the weeder at least 2-4 times. This incorporates the weeds into the soil.

The first weeding should be done at 10-12 days after transplanting to eliminate weeds and subsequent weeding are done at 10 days interval. Weeds incorporated into the soil with each weeding can add green manure and helps to build up large and diverse microbial population in the soil.

Water management:

Water should not be allowed to stagnate the SRI field. Regular irrigations to keep the soil moist. Irrigate the field on the previous evening before the periodic wedding. Drain out water in the morning to facilitate rotary weeder operation.

Some difference are as follows.

Conventional method	SRI method
1. 20-25 kg seed is used per acre	1. 2 kg seed is sufficient for 1 acre.
2. 25-30 days old seedlings are transplanted	2. Only 8-12 days old seedling are transplanted.
3. Seedlings are pulled with force and shake that cause damage to plant root	3. Seedling are treated very gently by scooping. No Pulling and no shaking the seedling.
4. Planted at random	4. Planted in square pattern.
5. 32 tills per sq.m	5. 16 tills per sq.m
6. 3 a more planted per hill	6. Only one seedling in planted per hill
7. Application of chemical fertilizer as recommended.	7. Application of organic manure only.
8. Continuous flooding	8. Saturation or moist condition

In an interview with N Manileima livelihood co-ordinator PRDA-SRI, Bishnupur says that all the 20 farmers under PRDA Bishnupur have implemented SRI method successfully.

Due to late coming monsoon, decrease some yield of rice but they could get 32.6 qts/acre (33 bags per sangam) to 36.5 qts/acre (38 bags/sangam) and hope the yield of SRI could be as high as 60 bags/sangam and there will be more farmers to take up SRI technology in the years to come.

PRDA is also taking up SRI method of agriculture in Churachanpur district party at Henlep A/C Manileima furthered.

In Bishnupur district PRDA has taken the prior initiative of SRI method in the district might be contributed good yielding in agricultural production in future and also looking forwards the farmers to help with this association.

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* Dr Ishok Romen wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition) . This was webcasted on December 22nd, 2009.

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