Influence of System of Rice Intensification on Yield, Water Use and Economics Through Farmers’ Participatory Approach

Abstract

Eight hundred and thirty two on-farm demonstrations on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) were carried out in six hundred hectares of farmers fields in Sivagangai and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu from 2007-08 to 2010-11 under Tamil Nadu-Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and Water Bodies Restoration and Management (TN – IAMWARM) Project. Two methods of rice cultivation viz., SRI and Conventional were compared. The results of large scale on - farm demonstrations revealed that adoption of SRI favorably influenced all the yield attributes of rice viz. number of tillers m-2 and numbers of grains panicle-1. Superiority of SRI in terms of grain yield was also evident due to 24.0 per cent yield increment than conventional method of rice cultivation. Higher grain yield coupled with substantial water saving to the tune of 24.3 per cent resulted in higher Water Use Efficiency of rice under SRI method. Higher gross income, net income and benefit cost ratio were also associated with SRI than - conventional method of rice cultivation. The cost of cultivation was comparatively lesser in SRI which resulted in an additional net profit of Rs.13,340 ha-1 as compared to conventional method of rice cultivation.