grain of truth

ROLAND J. BURESH
Soil Scientist

Lessons learned in the long term

he most intensively cropped experimental site in Asia yielding seasons. With the best N fertilizer practice began four decades ago largely as a demonstration plot historically used in the LTCCE (and typically recommended conveniently close to IRRIs administrative buildings. to Asian rice farmers), the rate of N fertilizer for a given season Researchers recognized its potential as an outdoor laboratory, remains constant from year to year. We have learned, however, and today the Long-Term Continuous Cropping Experiment that rice yields can be further improved with need-based (LTCCE) is a treasure for researching the sustainable management. This means applying N to feed rice only when management of intensive irrigated rice ecosystems. it is hungry because the N content in plant tissue has fallen Between the first planting on 18 February 1963 and the to a critical level. middle of 2002, the LTCCE produced 115 rice crops on its Farmers can quickly and easily gauge this level with simple single hectare two crops annually until 1968, then three tools such as the chlorophyll meter or the inexpensive leaf crops per year using short-duration modern varieties. The color chart. In the 2001 and 2002 dry seasons, need-based N LTCCE is thus a prototype of the irrigated rice ecosystems management guided by the leaf color chart resulted in higher that have spread across Asia and become rice yields than did the best N practice. We increasingly vital to food security. Irrigated achieved this yield improvement by better 1.5 billion rice fields producing two or three crops of rice per adjusting N fertilizer use to the growing season farmers and year now account for more than 40% of world and climatic conditions without decreasing rice production. One and a half billion rice consumers depend the fertilizers effectiveness (yield per amount farmers and consumers depend on their added). This demonstrates the potential for sustainable productivity. The LTCCE provides on the sustainable knowledge-based N management practices to early insights into the long-term effects of further boost yield, largely through adjusting productivity of intensive cropping on these ecosystems and how crop management to seasonal and site-specific irrigated fields best to maintain their resource base and conditions. productivity. We have learned that intensive rice producing two or We manage the LTCCE to achieve high and ecosystems can maintain soil organic matter, stable yields on a sustainable basis, with annual three crops of rice levels of which in the LTCCE have actually grain production for the three rice crops increased slightly (510%) in the past 15 years. per year reaching 17 t/ha. We examine high-yielding This is remarkable because we remove all varieties and elite breeding lines in combination with optimal aboveground crop residues. Aquatic organisms and biological nitrogen (N) fertilizer and crop management. We research the processes unique to submerged soils ensure sustained soil soils microbial dynamics, organic matter, carbon organic matter and sequestration of soil carbon. sequestration, and chemical and biological changes, as well We have learned that the capacity of irrigated rice as cultivar micronutrient content, aquatic arthropods, and ecosystems to supply indigenous N to rice can be sustained interactions between N fertilizer and rice diseases. under intensive cropping. The yield in LTCCE plots not Through the LTCCE, we have learned that high rice yields receiving N fertilizer has remained constant for the past 25 remain attainable after intensive cropping for more than 30 years. In this ecosystem with relatively high inherent soil years. A rice yield of 8.9 t/ha in the 2002 dry season with fertility, biological N2 fixation and N released from soil organic optimal N fertilizer management was the fifth highest to date matter continue to supply a steady 5060% of the N needed in the history of the experiment. It was made possible by by high-yielding rice. favorable climatic conditions. Climate, particularly solar In sum, well-managed irrigated rice ecosystems are radiation, is the dominant factor affecting long-term yield masterpieces of ecological vitality and sustained productivity. trends when N and crop management are optimized for high Soil submergence weaves an array of biological, chemical and yield. physical processes that make these ecosystems unique in Much of the N in high-yielding rice comes from agriculture. Our understanding of their ecological marvels, indigenous soil organic matter and biological N2 fixation, but which the LTCCE continues to expand, helps us to refine supplemental N from fertilizer is essential. The optimal natural resource management to further enhance productivity amount is directly related to plant need, which rises in high- and sustainability in an environment-friendly fashion.

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Rice Today September 2002