Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T17:58:12.412Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

INTEGRATED NUTRIENT–WEED MANAGEMENT UNDER MECHANISED DRY DIRECT SEEDING (DDS) IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTAINED SMALLHOLDER ADOPTION IN RAINFED LOWLAND RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2018

PHENG SENGXUA
Affiliation:
Land Management, National Agriculture & Forestry Research Institute, P.O. Box 7170, Vientiane, Lao PDR
TAMARA JACKSON
Affiliation:
Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, c/- NAFRI, P.O. Box 7170, Vientiane, Lao PDR
PHETSAMONE SIMALI
Affiliation:
Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office, Chaokeem Road, Savannakhet, Lao PDR
LEIGH K. VIAL
Affiliation:
Centre for Regional and Rural Futures, Deakin University, Hanwood, NSW 2680, Australia
KHAMSOUK DOUANGBOUPHA
Affiliation:
Phone Ngam Rice Research and Seed Production Centre, Airport Road, Pakse, Lao PDR
ELIZABETH CLARKE
Affiliation:
Leuphana University, 21335 Luneburg, Germany
DOME HARNPICHITVITAYA
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University, Ratcha Thani Road, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
LEN J. WADE*
Affiliation:
Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
*
†††Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Summary

In rainfed lowland rice-based systems, increasing labour scarcity due to off-farm employment is encouraging farmers to switch from transplanting to dry direct seeding (DDS). To assure stable productivity at a level comparable with or superior to transplanting, DDS management must ensure rice seedlings have access to nutrients in order to be competitive with weeds, which must also be suppressed. This paper examined farmer perceptions of DDS using a farmer survey, and used on-farm experiments to examine responses of rainfed lowland rice to integrated nutrient–weed management, based around mechanised DDS. In the survey, weeds were the biggest problem faced by farmers in using DDS (61%). In 90% of cases, farmers reported that weeds had increased under DDS, with most farmers (78%) controlling weeds by hand. All farmers said they would use DDS in the following season (100%), due to labour savings (47%), timeliness of operations, improved productivity, low investment or a combination of these (44%). In on-farm experiments, banding nutrients with the seed at sowing enhanced early dry matter of rice, while early weed dry matter was reduced. Early weed control using ducklings or hand weeding reduced weed competition and increased rice growth, with ducklings providing additional yield benefits over hand weeding. Early increases in seedling vigour of rice, and in weed suppression, carried through to greater dry matter and yield of rice at maturity. Integrated nutrient–weed management in mechanised DDS increased DDS yields, reduced DDS yield variability and contributed to sustainability of DDS rice systems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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

REFERENCES

Clarke, E., Jackson, T. M., Keoka, K., Phimphachanvongsod, V., Sengxua, P., Simali, P. and Wade, L. J. (2018). Insights into adoption of farming practices through multiple lenses: An innovation systems approach. Development in Practice, In Press.Google Scholar
Fujisaka, S., Moody, K. and Ingram, K. (1993). A descriptive study of farming practices for dry seeded rainfed lowland rice in India, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 45 (1–2):115128. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-8809(93)90063-U.Google Scholar
Fukai, S. and Ouk, M. (2012). Increased productivity of rainfed lowland rice cropping systems of the Mekong region. Crop and Pasture Science 63 (10):944973. https://doi.org/10.1071/CP12294.Google Scholar
Huang, M., Zou, Y., Jiang, P., Xia, B., Feng, Y., Cheng, Z. and Mo, Y. (2011). Yield component differences between direct-seeded and transplanted super hybrid rice. Plant Production Science 14 (4):331338. https://doi.org/10.1626/pps.14.331.Google Scholar
Joshi, E., Kumar, D., Lal, B., Nepalia, V., Gautam, P. and Vyas, A. K. (2013). Management of direct seeded rice for enhanced resource – use efficiency. Plant Knowledge Journal 2 (3):119134.Google Scholar
Kumar, V. and Ladha, J. K. (2011). Direct Seeding of Rice. Recent Developments and Future Research Needs. Advances in Agronomy, 1st edn., vol. 111. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387689-8.00001-1.Google Scholar
Linquist, B. and Sengxua, P. (2001). Nutrient Management in Rainfed Lowland Rice in the Lao PDR. Los Banos: International Rice Research Institute.Google Scholar
Manivong, V., Cramb, R. and Newby, J. C. (2014a). Rice and remittances: Crop intensification versus labour migration in Southern Laos. Human Ecology 42 (3):367379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9656-6.Google Scholar
Manivong, V., Newby, J. C. and Cramb, R. (2014b). Subsistence-oriented rice farming in the rainfed lowlands of central and southern Laos – A policy dilemma. In A Policy Dialogue on Rice Futures: Rice-Based Farming Systems Research in the Mekong Region, 128–135 (Ed Robbins, L.). Phnom Penh: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.Google Scholar
Newby, J. C., Manivong, V. and Cramb, R. (2013). Intensification of lowland rice-based farming systems in Laos in the context of diversified rural livelihoods. 57th AARES Annual Conference. Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Pandey, S., Mortimer, M., Wade, L. J., Tuong, T. P., Lopez, K. and Hardy, B. (2002). Direct seeding: Research issues and opportunities. In Proceedings of the International Workshop on Direct Seeding in Asian Rice Systems: Strategic Research Issues and Opportunities, 1–383 (Eds Pandey, S., Mortimer, M., Wade, L., Tuong, T. P., Lopez, K. and Hardy, B.). Los Banos, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute.Google Scholar
Pandey, S., Suphanchaimat, N. and Velasco, M. L. (2012). The patterns of spread and economics of a labor-saving innovation in rice production: The case of direct seeding in northeast Thailand. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture 51 (4):333356.Google Scholar
Ponnamperuma, F. (1964). Dynamic aspects of flooded soils and nutrition of the rice plant. In The Mineral Nutrition of the Rice Plant, 295328. Los Banos, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute.Google Scholar
Rao, A. N., Johnson, D. E., Sivaprasad, B., Ladha, J. K. and Mortimer, A. M. (2007). Weed management in direct-seeded rice. Advances in Agronomy 93 (Suppl.):153255. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(06)93004-1.Google Scholar
San-oh, Y., Mano, Y., Ookawa, T. and Hirasawa, T. (2004). Comparison of dry matter production and associated characteristics between direct-sown and transplanted rice plants in a submerged paddy field and relationships to planting patterns. Field Crops Research 87 (1):4358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2003.09.004.Google Scholar
Sengxua, P., Samson, B. K., Bounphanousay, C., Xayavong, S., Douangboupha, K., Harnpichitvitaya, D., Jackson, T. M. and Wade, L. J. (2017). Adaptation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes in the rainfed lowlands of Lao PDR. Plant Production Science 20 (4):477484. https://doi.org/10.1080/1343943X.2017.1403290.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D. and Torrie, J. H. (1960). Principles and Procedures of Statistics. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Book Company.Google Scholar
Suh, J. (2014). An institutional and policy framework to foster integrated rice-duck farming in Asian developing countries. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2014.975480.Google Scholar
Wade, L. J., Fukai, S., Samson, B. K., Ali, A. and Mazid, M. A. (1999). Rainfed lowland rice: Physical environment and cultivar requirements. Field Crops Research 64 (1–2):312. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4290(99)00047-7.Google Scholar
Wheeler, T. and von Braun, J. (2013). Climate change impacts on global food security. Science 341 (6145):508513. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239402.Google Scholar
Yadav, S., Gill, G., Humphreys, E., Kukal, S. S. and Walia, U. S. (2011). Effect of water management on dry seeded and puddled transplanted rice. Part 1: Crop performance. Field Crops Research 120 (1):112122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2010.09.002.Google Scholar
Zimdhal, R. L. (2004). Weed-Crop Competition. A Review, 2nd edn. Ames, IOWA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Sengxua et al. supplementary material

Sengxua et al. supplementary material 1

Download Sengxua et al. supplementary material(File)
File 118.3 KB