Rice Production in Timor Leste: Getting More for Less

Improving rice yields starts with strong seedlings produced in a mat nursery. The mat nursery is lined on its bottom with banana leaves to prevent roots from penetrating into the paddy and lined on the side with banana trunks to contain the soil media (upper left). The soil media is made from easily obtained material on the farm: 8 parts soil, 2 parts manure or compost, and 1 part rice hulls. Seedlings are grown for 14 days and transplanted immediately (upper right). The roots do not penetrate into the paddy so that whole seedlings are easily lifted from the nursery without damaging the roots (lower right). A single intact seedling produced from the mat nursery (lower left). (Photos by V. Balasubramanian and R. Ogoshi)

Weeding is made easier by using a hand-pushed mechanical weeder (left). The mechanical weeder buries weeds as it runs between rows (right). In some cases, the mechanical weeder reduced the time to weed a field from 3 days to 2 hours. (Photos by V. Balasubramanian and R. Ogoshi)

 

          The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries faces a monumental task when it set its strategic goal to raise the national average rice yield from 2.5 to 3.5 tons/ha in the next 5 years. The problem in raising yields across the country is that most farmers are resource poor. The solution may be as simple as changing a few production practices at little cost, or even a cost savings.

             With their current production method, farmers get few productive tillers which are important contributors to high yield. The number of tillers, the sideshoots capable of producing grain, is set early in rice growth about 20 days after germination. In normal farmer practice, the tiller number is set when the seedlings are under stress in the crowded nursery or shock during transplanting when the leaves and roots are cut. The rice plant responds by producing only a few tillers.

             Another major constraint to high yield is the proliferation of weeds in the paddies. In many paddies, farmers do not practice weed control because of the enormous amount of labor it takes to keep the fields clean manually.

             Dr. Veithaya Balasubramanian from the International Rice Research Institute has developed a set of practices called Integrated Crop Management (ICM) that counters these constraints. Seedlings are produced in a mat nursery made from readily available material on a farm. This special nursery keeps the plants intact when transplanting and eliminates shock that normally ensues. The seedlings are vigorous and start growing immediately upon transplanting.

          Seedlings are transplanted when they are young before the tiller number is set. The young seedlings produce so many tillers only one seedling is planted per hill. One seedling per hill produces 27% more rice heads per square meter than planting the traditional 4 to 5 seedlings per hill according to trials in the Baucau District. Not only is more rice produced, but less rice seed is used to produce it as little as 10 kg per ha rather than 40 kg per hectare.

         Seedlings are transplanted when they are young before the tiller number is set. The young seedlings produce so many tillers only one seedling is planted per hill. One seedling per hill produces 27% more rice heads per square meter than planting the traditional 4 to 5 seedlings per hill according to trials in the Baucau District. Not only is more rice produced, but less rice seed is used to produce it as little as 10 kg per ha rather than 40 kg per hectare.

            Weeds are controlled with a mechanical hand-weeder that costs about $20. Seedlings are transplanted in rows to allow easy passage for the weeder. Farmers in the District of Aileu found they could weed their paddy in only 2 hours instead of 2 to 3 days by hand.

In the Baucau District, field trials showed that rice yield rose from 2.7 tons/ha that farmers usually obtain to 4.6 tons/ha when ICM practices are used. These results show that the ICM makes the MAFF goal attainable under the difficult constraints they face.
BackReturn to news