About 90% of Indonesian people used rice as staple food. Rice production needs large amounts of water, especially under conventional rice production system. Recently, system of rice intensification (SRI) is promoted as an alternative rice cultivation to maintain rice yield through optimizing water and nutrient efficiency. This system use organic fertilizer, wide space, and intermittent irrigation.
In this study, we evaluate performance of rice plant growth between conventional and SRI method in terrace rice field. Different cultivation method will affected on rice plant development and nutrient availability. We used two different treatment, continuous flooding (FL) as practiced by farmer and system of rice intensification (SRI). FL was used continuous flooding and SRI was used intermittent irrigation during rice growth. Three consecutive terraced paddy fields (100-150 m²) were used for the experiment. Rice plant growth measured every week and rice yield at harvest time. Total nitrogen and nitrogen availability determined from soil samples after harvest time. Rice plant growth was analyzed by monomolecular and polynomial model.
Rice plant growth rate resulted that plant height was not significantly different between SRI and FL (p>0.005), although in different terrace. However, number of tillers rate showed that SRI was significantly increased tillers (p<0.005). Terrace two resulted higher tillers than terrace one and three, both in SRI and FL. Number of tiller have positive correlation with rice yield. The yield comparison resulted that SRI was significantly different with FL (p<0.005). Yield was increased under SRI method. In addition, total nitrogen and nitrogen availability under SRI field was higher than FL field.