Management of rice production systems to increase productivity

after transplanting until the rice plants reach maturity. Fertilizer application
and weeding are done under flooded conditions. These were major challenges
for the adoption of SRI practices by local farmers.
113
In most of the farmer trials, grain yields from the SRI management
plots were 2 to 6 times higher than the average yields (2.5 t/ha) from the
current farmer management practice (Table 23).
Table 23. Grain Yields from Farmer Management Practices and
SRI Management Practices, Sapu, The Gambia, 2001
Farmer Farmer
Management
Practice
(T/Ha)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
3.7
2.0
2.5
1.8
1.6
1.4
2.8
2.5
3.8
2.5
SRI Management
Practice
(T/Ha)
8.5
7.8
9.3
9.4
9.0
8.0
6.0
7.0
7.6
1.8
Increase by
SRI
(T/Ha)
4.8
5.8
6.8
7.6
7.4
6.6
3.2
4.5
3.8
‐0.7
Average 2.5 7.4 4.9
Under SRI management practices, yields were as high as 9.4 t/ha. The
average yield was 7.4 t/ha, and would have been higher if the bund between
the SRI and farmer practice plot had not been given way for farmer # 10,