Effects of ditch distance in rice fields on the growth and production of rice (Oryza sativa l.)

Abstract

Background and Objective: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is one of the techniques of planting rice that can increase rice productivity. However, in field application, there is still some questions as to which technique is the best for soil water conditions. By providing precise soil water conditions in ditch distances, it is expected that rice productivity could be increased and the use of water could be decreased. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ditch distance on the growth and productivity of rice using SRI. Materials and Methdos: The rice variety used was Batang Piaman. This study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with five treatments of ditch distance, i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m and each treatment was given three replications. Data were analysed with the F-test (p<0.05). Results: Ditch distance significantly affected the maximum number of tillers, plant growth rate, net assimilation rate, number of productive tillers and seed weight per clump, but the number of seeds per panicle and the weight of 1000 seeds were not significantly affected. The best ditch distance for optimum growth and production of rice was 2 m. Using a planting range of 25×25 cm, there were 160,000 rice clumps that produced 8.288 t of dried seeds per hectare. This yield was higher than the described yield of the same variety of 6 t haG1. Conclusion: The optimal ditch distance in planting rice using the SRI method was 2 m, resulting in an increase in rice yield of 38.13%.