COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RICE (OryzasativaL.) CULTIVATION IN POLYBAG TO CULTIVATION IN LOWLAND

Abstract

Purpose of the study: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the leading food consumed by Indonesian people even in Asia. The various innovations in rice cultivation still being developed to increase the yield both in quantity and quality. In general, rice cultivation is planted in the lowland. This research aims to compare the productivity of rice cultivation in a polybag to rice cultivation in the lowland. Methodology: The size of the polybag that used in the experiment is 40x40 cm with space 50 cm of each other. The experiment was conducted in Nganjuk, East Java, Indonesia. The variables studied are rice yield and rice varieties. The varieties used are Ciherang and Sertani 12. Main Findings: The result showed that rice production yield includes the number of filled grains, total grain, and panicle number in polybag more than in lowland. Rice cultivation produces 2 kg/m2 in a polybag and 1 kg/m2 in the lowland. The panicle number of rice in polybag is more than in lowland, i.e., 12 in a polybag and 6 in the lowland. For the rice variety, Ciherang and Sertani 12 have the same yield in a polybag. It is 2 kg/m2. Applications of this study: The rice cultivation in polybags has an easy cultivation system and suitable for urban areas where agricultural land is limited. Besides, it can be the solution for decreasing agricultural land from time to time. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this research is the use of polybags as the media of rice cultivation, which is not commonly done in farming.