In this study, we aimed to improve rice farmers’ productivity and profitability in rainfed lowlands through appropriate crop and nutrient management by closing the rice yield gap during the dry season in the rainfed lowlands of Indonesia. The Integrated Crop Management package, involving recommended practices (RP) from the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), were compared to the farmers’ current practices at ten farmer-participatory demonstration plots across ten provinces of Indonesia in 2019. The farmers’ practices (FP) usually involved using old varieties in their remaining land and following their existing fertilizer management methods. The results indicate that improved varieties and nutrient best management practices in rice production, along with water reservoir infrastructure and information access, contribute to increasing the productivity and profitability of rice farming. The mean rice yield increased significantly with RP compared with FP by 1.9 t ha−1 (ranges between 1.476 to 2.344 t ha−1), and net returns increased, after deducting the cost of fertilizers and machinery used for irrigation supplements, by USD 656 ha−1 (ranges between USD 266.1 to 867.9 ha−1) per crop cycle. This represents an exploitable yield gap of 37%. Disaggregated by the wet climate of western Indonesia and eastern Indonesia’s dry climate, the RP increased rice productivity by 1.8 and 2.0 t ha−1, with an additional net return gain per cycle of USD 600 and 712 ha−1, respectively. These results suggest that there is considerable potential to increase the rice production output from lowland rainfed rice systems by increasing cropping intensity and productivity. Here, we lay out the potential for site-specific variety and nutrient management with appropriate crop and supplemental irrigation as an ICM package, reducing the yield gap and increasing farmers’ yield and income during the dry season in Indonesia’s rainfed-prone areas.

<p>Tanaman manggis memiliki karakteristik pertumbuhan yang lambat yang antara lain disebabkan oleh sistem perakaran yang buruk, terbatasnya akar lateral, serta mudah terganggu oleh aerasi yang kurang baik dan kekeringan atau kelebihan air. Oleh karena itu rekayasa media tumbuh melalui pendekatan porositas untuk mendapatkan keseimbangan antara aerasi dan ketersediaan air untuk memacu pertumbuhan sangat diperlukan. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Rumah Plastik Pusat Kajian Buah Tropika, Institut Pertanian Bogor, Tajur dan Balai Penelitian Tanah Bogor mulai Januari 2009 sampai dengan Agustus 2010. Penelitian disusun menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap pola faktorial dengan tiga ulangan. Faktor pertama ialah porositas media, terdiri atas empat taraf yaitu: 51–55, 56–60, 61–65, dan 66–70% dan faktor kedua ialah interval penyiraman yang terdiri atas empat taraf yaitu: 2, 4, 6 dan 8 hari. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi porositas media 61–65% dengan penyiraman 6 hari + polimer penyimpan air (PPA) memberikan respons tertinggi terhadap tinggi tanaman (19,27 cm) dan pertambahan jumlah daun (9 helai), panjang akar (37,19 cm), dan potensial air jaringan daun (-7,23 bar). Pertumbuhan tajuk dan akar (khususnya panjang akar) berhubungan dengan gradien potensial air jaringan, dimana kombinasi porositas media 61–65% dengan peniraman 6 hari + PPA memiliki gradien potensial jaingan tertinggi (5,86 bar). Gradien potensial yang tinggi mendorong laju serapan dan translokasi air, sehingga respons yang nyata nampak pada peningkatan pertumbuhan tanaman. Media tumbuh dengan porositas 61–65 % dan penyiraman setiap 6 hari + PPA dapat diterapkan pada pembibitan manggis.</p>

The study aimed to determine the effect of nitrogen rates and planting systems on the incidence and severity of rice blast under naturally infected rice plants and their relationship to rice yield performance. Recommended nitrogen rate for both direct seeding was 93.2kg/ha. Treatments consisted of 75% recommended-N rate, 100% recommended-N rate, 150% recommended-N, and existing farmer’s practice. Treatments were applied in a three-way splitted-N application at 14, 30, and 45 days after planting, respectively. The results indicate that rates of N fertilization affected disease incidence of the rice blast where the low-N application was generally lower than recommended-N rate, high-N rate, and farmer’s practice, both on jajar legowo 2:1 and broadcasted direct seeding. This study revealed that recommended-N application, although has a higher disease incidence than low-N application, could tolerate yield loss due to rice blast by producing more productive tillers, number of grains per panicle, and reducing the number of unfilled grains. This study generally showed that jajar legowo 2:1 direct seeding gave lower disease incidence and severity to the rice blast than broadcasted direct seeding. The study suggested an appropriate recommended-N rate and jajar legowo 2:1 direct seeding (double row) was incorporated into the rice blast management strategies.

In order to increase national rice production, the Ministry of Agriculture has released some high yielding varieties. The research was aimed to obtain superior rice varieties adapted to irrigated lowland agro-ecosystems of Southeast Sulawesi. In the first planting season, research was carried out in Olo-oloho Village, Uepai sub district and the second season at the Wawotobi Experimental Garden. Eight varieties were tested, i.e. Inpari 31, Inpari 34, Inpari 35, Inpari 38, Inpari 39, Inpari 41, Inpari 42, Inpari 43 and Mekongga. The variables observed were growth, yield and pest and disease dynamics. The results shows that there was variation growth and yield of the tested varieties. The growth and yield also varied depend on the season. In the first planting season, Inpari 34 and Inpari 43 showed better growth than others, but Inpari 31 resulted the highest rice yield (4.83 t/ha). In the second planting season, only Inpari 34 showed consistent growth, but the variety that had showed the highest yield was Inpari 43 (8.13 t/ha).