Presenter: Norman Uphoff Title: Agroecological Strategies for Raising Crop Productivity with Reduced Inputs, with Less Water Requirement, and with Buffering of Climate-Change Stresses Date: April 10, 2014 Venue: Agricultural Research Center, Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

1. Agroecological Strategies for Raising
Crop Productivity with Reduced Inputs,
with Less Water Requirement, and with
Buffering of Climate-Change Stresses
Norman Uphoff, Cornell University, USA
Agricultural Research Center,
Sakha, Kafr El-Sheikh, April 10, 2014

2. In the 21st century, we will need to learn
how to PRODUCE MORE FROM LESS
This paradoxical relationship will be needed
for sustainable agricultural development
Amount of arable LAND per capita is declining
-- with less and less reliable supplies of WATER,
and higher ENERGY costs and prices of INPUTS
We need to protect and maintain the quality of
our NATURAL RESOURCES -- soil, water, air --
and to ensure broad access to APPROPRIATE
TECHNOLOGIES to reduce hunger & poverty

3. Green Revolution technologies from the 1960s
contributed to meeting our food needs in past
century – but they are becoming less relevant
to the emerging conditions of the 21st century
What were the main elements of GR technology?
1. Development and use of NEW VARIETIES,
2. Application of more EXTERNAL INPUTS,
3. Provision of more and more reliable WATER
4. Agrochemical means of CROP PROTECTION
---
How many know the book by Francis Chaboussou?
Healthy Crops: A New Agricultural Revolution (1985 in French,
English translation 2004) presents the theory of
‘trophobiosis’ formulated by this INRA agr. scientist

4. Green Revolution strategy has come to be seen as
the necessary, indeed the best or the only way to
achieve higher crop yields and more productivity
However, this seeds + fertilizer + water strategy
has been encountering DIMINISHING RETURNS
Total grain
in RED
Per capita
grain in
GREEN

5. Diminishing returns to agrochemical inputs
are being experienced clearly in China
At the start of China’s Green Revolution, farmers’
agronomic N-use efficiency was 15-20 kg rice/kg N
• By 1981-83, this had fallen to 9.1 kg rice/kg N
(Lin, 1991)
• By 2001, it was 6.4 kg rice/kg N in Zhejiang
province (Wang et al., 2001)
• By 2006, this ratio was 5-10 kg rice/kg N
(Peng et al., 2006) – and it is still declining
S.B. Peng et al., “Improving N fertilization in rice… “
Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 30 (2010), 649-656.

6. At the same time, nitrate (NO3) levels in
China’s groundwater supplies have been rising
rapidly, due to overuse of N fertilizer
Already 10 years ago, in many parts of China,
the level of NO3 in groundwater was >300 ppm
-- in the US, the EPA allows only 50 ppm
J.L. Hatfield, “Nitrogen over-use, under-use and efficiency.”
Paper presented to 4th International Crop Science Congress,
Brisbane, Australia, September, 2004
This kind of agricultural practice has
unacceptable consequences and a bleak future

7. Fortunately, there are alternatives to this
genocentric, input-dependent strategy,
ones that are very productive and economic:
AGROECOLOGICAL METHODOLOGIES
These methodologies (methods, practices)
mobilize and utilize the biological potentials
and ecological processes and dynamics that
already exist within crop plants and that are
inherent within the soil systems in which
our crop plants grow

8. Agroecological methods promote the
growth of more productive PHENOTYPES
from any given GENOTYPE, i.e., variety
-- does everyone know the difference?
HOW? by managing agroecosystems more
productively -- rather than by focusing on
and mostly relying on external inputs
HOW CAN THIS BE DONE? By improving
crops’ growing environments -- both below
and above ground – focusing on the E factor
in geneticists’ symbolic equation:
Phenotype = ƒ G + E + GxEinteractions

9. Agroecological practices modify and
optimize the management of
plants, soil, water and nutrients,
in ways that mobilize the services of the
plant-soil microbiome, i.e., the
multitude of beneficial microorganisms
that live around, on and within plants
Much as beneficial microorganisms
live in, on and around our human bodies,
in what is called the human microbiome

10. Agroecological approaches include:
• Agroforestry
• Conservation agriculture (CA)
• Holistic land and livestock
management (Allan Savory)
• Integrated pest management (IPM)
• Integrated crop-fish culture
• System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
• System of Crop Intensification (SCI)
Will focus here on the latter: SRI and SCI

11. SRI -- by changing management of the plants,
soil, water and nutrients for growing rice --
A. Induces plants to have larger, healthier
and better functioning ROOT SYSTEMS,
B. Nurtures soil systems that have larger
populations of SOIL ORGANISMS which
are more biodiverse and more active
Both roots & soil biota make crucial
contributions to crop production, and they
can reduce the current demand for both
water and nitrogen fertilizer

12. Effects of inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii E11
on root architecture of two rice varieties: (a) Rootlets per plant; (b)
Cumulative root length (mm); (c) Surface area (cm2); (d) Root
biovolume (cm3). From: Y. G. Yanni et al., Australian Journal of Plant
Physiology, 28, 845–870 (2001)
Egyptian research shows positive interactions
between soil microbes and roots’ growth

13. Evidence on water saving and productivity:
A meta-analysis of 29 published studies (2006-2013), with
results from 251 comparison trials across 8 countries
Water use: SRI mgmt 12.03 million liters ha-1
Standard 15.33 million liters ha-1
SRI reduction in total water use = 22%
SRI reduction in irrigation water use = 35%
with 11% more yield: SRI 5.9 tons ha-1 vs. 5.1 tons ha-1
(usually SRI yield increase is much greater than this)
Total WUE 0.6 vs. 0.39 grams/liter (52% more)
Irrigation WUE 1.23 vs. 0.69 grams/liter (78%more)
P. Jagannath, H. Pullabhotla and N. Uphoff, “Evaluation of water use,
water saving and water use efficiency in irrigated rice production with
SRI vs. traditional management,” Taiwan Water Conservancy (2013)

14. Some demonstrations of how
more productive phenotypes
are being obtained from
available crop genotypes –
without reliance on new varieties,
or on chemical fertilizer, and
with less water requirement,
because of better root systems
and enhanced life in the soil

15. NEPAL:
Farmer with
a rice plant
grown from a
single seed
with SRI
methods
in Morang
district

16. CUBA: Two plants of the same variety (VN 2084) and same age
(52 DAS) – different phenotypes from same genotype

17. INDONESIA: Stump
of a rice plant
(modern variety)
grown using
SRI management
methods -- with
223 tillers & massive
root growth from a
single seed
Panda’an, E. Java, 2009

18. IRAQ: Comparison trials at Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf

19. SRI
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
IH H FH MR WR YRStage
Organdryweight(g/hill)
IH H FH MR WR YR
CK Yellow leaf
and sheath
Panicle
Leaf
Sheath
Stem
47.9% 34.7%
Non-Flooding Rice Farming Technology in Irrigated Paddy Field
Dr. Tao Longxing, China National Rice Research Institute, 2004

20. Results of trials conducted by the China National
Rice Research Institute over two years, 2004/2005,
using 2 super-hybrid varieties with the aim of
breaking the ‘yield plateau’ now limiting hybrids
Standard Rice Mgmt
• 30-day seedlings
• 20x20 cm spacing
• Continuous flooding
• Fertilization:
– 100% chemical
New Rice Mgmt (~ 75% ‘SRI’)
• 20-day seedlings
• 30x30 cm spacing
• Alt. wetting/drying (AWD)
• Fertilization:
– 50/50 chemical/organic
X.Q. Lin, D.F. Zhu, H.Z. Chen, S.H. Cheng and N. Uphoff (2009). “Effect of
plant density and nitrogen fertilizer rates on grain yield and nitrogen
uptake of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.)” Journal of Agricultural
Biotechnology and Sustainable Development, 1(2): 44-53

21. Average yields of (kg/ha) hybrid varieties
with ‘new rice management’ vs. standard rice
management at different plant densities per ha
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
150,000 180,000 210,000
NRM
SRM
Plant population per hectare
SRI practices yield more productive phenotypes -- Chinese
farmers are WASTING seeds and water and N fertilizer

22. SRI methods have set a new world yield record
Paddy production: Bihar
panchayat breaks China’s record
New Delhi, Mar 20:
A gram panchayat in Nalanda district of Bihar has
surpassed the Chinese record of paddy production,
the Union Agriculture Minister Mr Sharad Pawar
informed Parliament today. “As per the reports
received from the state government, the yield of wet
paddy has been recorded at 22.4 tonnes per hectare
and that of dry paddy at 20.16 tonnes a hectare ...,”
Mr Pawar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
The record yield was achieved under demonstration
on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) which was
organised at farmer’s field during kharif 2011, he
added. “It has surpassed the yield of 19 tonnes per
hectare which was recorded earlier in China.”

23. Before 1999: Madagascar
1999-2000: China, Indonesia
2001-02: Bangladesh, Cuba, Laos,
Cambodia, Gambia, India, Nepal,
Myanmar, Philippines, Sierra Leone,
Sri Lanka, Thailand
2003: Benin, Guinea, Mozambique, Peru
2004-05: Senegal, Pakistan, Vietnam
2006: Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq,
Zambia
2007: Afghanistan, Brazil, Mali
2008: Rwanda, Costa Rica, Egypt,
Ecuador, Ghana, Japan
2009: Malaysia, Timor Leste
2010: Kenya, DPRK, Panama, Haiti
2011: Colombia, Korea, Taiwan,
Tanzania
2012: Burundi, Dominican Republic,
Niger, Nigeria, Togo
2013: Malawi, Cameroon, Liberia
2014: SRI benefits of better phenotypes have been seen
now in >50 countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America

24. These changes in crop management
can be effective in very different and
quite contrasting agroecosystems:
* AFGHANISTAN: Baghlan province
1600 masl, temperate climate,
with a short growing season
* MALI: Timbuktu province
on the edge of the Sahara Desert,
with hot, dry subtropical climate

25. AFGHANISTAN: SRI field in Baghlan Province, supported by
Aga Khan Foundation Natural Resource Management program

26. AKF technician making a field visit in Baghlan province

27. SRI field at 30 days

28. SRI plant @ 72 days
after transplanting
with 133 tillers 11.56 t/ha

29. 2008: 6 farmers got
SRI yields of 10.1 t/ha vs.
5.4 t/ha regular methods
2009: 42 farmers got SRI
yields of 9.3 t/ha vs. 5.6 t/ha
with regular methods
- 2nd year SRI farmers got
13.3 t/ha vs. 5.6 t/ha
- 1st year SRI farmers got
8.7 t/ha vs. 5.5 t/ha
2011: 106 farmers got SRI
yields of 10.1 t/ha vs. 5.04
t/ha with regular methods
All were using less water

30. MALI -- SRI nursery in Timbuktu region –
8-day seedlings are ready for transplanting

31. SRI transplanting on
edge of Sahara Desert

32. Mali farmer in the
Timbuktu region
showing difference
between rice plants:
regular on left, and
SRI on right
2007/08: 1 farmer -
SRI yield of 8.98 t/ha
2008/09: 60 farmers -
9.01 vs. 5.49 t/ha
2009/10: 130 farmers –
7.71 vs. 4.48 t/ha
using 32% less water
Gao region ave.: 7.84 t/ha
Mopti region ave.: 7.85 t/ha

33. Environmental Benefits with SRI:
1. Reduced water requirements – higher crop water-use
efficiency -- puts less pressure on ecosystems in
competition with agriculture for water supplies
2. Higher land productivity – reducing pressures for the
expansion of arable area to feed growing populations
3. Less use of inorganic fertilizer – reactive N is “the third
major threat to our planet after biodiversity loss and
climate change” (John Lawton, former chief executive,
UK National Environmental Research Council)
4. Less reliance on agrochemicals for crop protection -
which enhances the quality of both soil and water
5. Buffering against the effects of climate change –
drought, storms (resist lodging), cold temperatures
6. Some reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) – CH4 can
be reduced without producing offsetting N2O

34. Other Benefits from Changes in Practices
1. Water saving – major concern in many places, also
now have ‘rainfed’ version with similar results
2. Greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses –
less damage from pests and diseases, drought,
typhoons, flooding, cold spells [discuss tomorrow]
3. Shorter crop cycle – same varieties are harvested
by 1-3 weeks sooner, save water, less crop risk
4. High milling output – by about 15%, due to fewer
unfilled grains (less chaff) and fewer broken grains
5. Reductions in labor requirements – widely reported
incentive for changing practices in India and China;
also, mechanization is being introduced many places
6. Reductions in costs of production – greater farmer
income and profitability, also health benefits
Drought-resistance: Rice fields in Sri Lanka 3 weeks after irrigation
stopped because of drought -- conventionally-grown field is on left,
and SRI field is on right-- same variety, same soil, same climate

35. Results from Bihar State, 2007-2011
Data from Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society, Govt. of Bihar
SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION -- state ave. 2.3 t/ha
2007 2008 2009 2010
Climatic conditions
Normal
rainfall
Water
submergence
occurred 2x
Drought, but
rainfall in
Sept.
Complete
drought
No. of smallholders 128 5,146 8,367 19,911
Area under SRI (ha) 30 544 786 1,412
SRI yield (t/ha) 10.0 7.75 6.5 3.22*
Conv. yield (t/ha) 2.7 2.36 2.02 1.66*
,
SYSTEM OF WHEAT INTENSIFICATION -- state ave. 2.4 t/ha
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
No. of smallholders 415 25,235 48,521
Area under SWI (ha) 16 1,200 2,536
SWI average yield (t/ha) 3.6 4.5 NA
Conv. average yield (t/ha) 1.6 1.6 NA
* Results from measurements of yield on 74 farmers’ SRI and conventional fields

36. Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
SRI area (ha) 1,133 7,267 57,400 117,267 204,467 252,467 301,067 941,068
SRI yield (kg/ha) 9,105 9,435 8,805 9,075 9,300 9,495 9,555 9,252
Non-SRI yield (kg/ha) 7,740 7,650 7,005 7,395 7,575 7,710 7,740 7,545
SRI increment (t/ha)* 1,365 1,785 1,800# 1,680 1,725 1,785 1,815# 1,708
SRI % increase in yield* 17.6% 23.3% 25.7% 22.7% 22.8% 23.2% 23.5% 22.7%
Increased grain (tons） 1,547 12,971 103,320 197,008 352,705 450,653 546,436 1,664,640
Grain price (RMB
Yuan/kg)
1.44 1.44 1.44 1.50 1.80 1.84 1.95 1.63
Added net income due
to SRI (million RMB)*
1.28 11.64 106.51 205.10 450.85 571.69 704.27
2,051
($300 m)
* Comparison is with Sichuan provincial average for paddy yield and SRI profitability
# In drought years, SRI yields were relatively higher than with conventional methods
Source: Data are from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture.
CHINA: SRI extension and impact in Sichuan, 2004-10

37. Storm resistance
in Vietnam:
Adjacent fields
after being hit by
a tropical storm
in Dông Trù village,
Hanoi province
On left are SRI field
and rice plant; on
right, conventional
field and plant
Same variety was
used in both fields
-- on right, we see
serious lodging;
on left, no lodging

38. Storm resistance
in Kenya:
rice fields in Mwea
irrigation scheme
Conventional field on left,
and SRI field above, after a
severe storm had passed
over the scheme

39. Disease and pest resistance in Vietnam:
National IPM Program evaluation -- averages of
data from on-farm trials in 8 provinces, 2005-06:
Spring season Summer season
SRI
plots
Farmer
plots
Differ-
ence
SRI
plots
Farmer
Plots
Differ-
ence
Sheath
blight
6.7% 18.1% 63.0% 5.2% 19.8% 73.7%
Leaf blight -- -- -- 8.6% 36.3% 76.5%
Small leaf
folder *
63.4 107.7 41.1% 61.8 122.3 49.5%
Brown plant
hopper *
542 1,440 62.4% 545 3,214 83.0%
AVERAGE 55.5% 70.7%
* Insects/m2

40. Resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses in East Java,
Indonesia: fields hit by both brown planthopper (BPH) and
by storm damage – rice field on left was grown with standard
practices, while the field on right is organic SRI
Modern
improved
variety
(Ciherang)
– no yield
Traditional
aromatic
variety
(Sintanur)
- 8 t/ha

41. Resistance to cold temperatures in India: Yield
and meteorological data from ANGRAU, A.P.
Period Mean max.
temp. 0C
Mean min.
temp. 0C
No. of sunshine
hrs
1 – 15 Nov 27.7 19.2 4.9
16–30 Nov 29.6 17.9 7.5
1 – 15 Dec 29.1 14.6 8.6
16–31 Dec 28.1 12.2# 8.6
# Sudden drop in minimum temp. for 5 days, 16-21 December (9.2-9.9o C )
Season Normal (t/ha) SRI (t/ha)
Rabi (winter) 2005-06 2.25 3.47
Kharif (monsoon) 2006 0.21* 4.16
* Low yield was due to cold injury (see below)

42. Comparison of methane gas emission
CT SRI
kgCH4/ha
0
200
400
600
800
1000
840.1
237.6
72 %
Treatment
Emission (kg/ha) CO2 ton/ha
equivalentCH4 N2O
CT 840.1 0 17.6
SRI 237.6 0.074 5.0

43. SRI practices are now being used beyond rice,
with broader System of Crop Intensification (SCI)
Farmer-led innovations with civil society help in:
• Wheat (SWI) -- India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mali
• Sugarcane (SSI) -- India, Cuba
• Finger millet (SFMI) -- India, Ethiopia
• Mustard (rapeseed/canola) -- India
• Teff -- Ethiopia
• Sorghum – Ethiopia
Also: maize, soya bean, black gram, green gram, red
gram, tomatoes, chilies, eggplant, sesame, turmeric,
etc. -- India, Ethiopia

44. Crops Yield
increase
Profitability
per ha
Rice 86% 250%
Wheat 72% 86%
Oil seeds 50% 93%
Pulses 56% 67%
Vegetables 20% 37%
Enhancing Agricultural Livelihoods through
Community Institutions in Bihar, India (2013)
D. Behera et al., World Bank India Office,
New Delhi, and JEEVIKA, Patna, India
Report on System of Crop Intensification
(SCI) results in the Indian state of Bihar

45. System of Wheat Intensification on-farm trials
in Tigray Province, Ethiopia, 2009-10,
supported by a grant from Oxfam America to
Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD)
-- 39 grains vs. 56 grains per panicle

46. SWI results in Mali (1st year)
Africare program, 2009
• Seed reduction: 94% (10 vs 170 kg/ha)
• Yield increase: 10% (2.2 vs 2.0 t/ha)
• Labor reduction: 40%
• Irrigation water reduction: 30%
• Problems: mortality, spacing was too
wide (25cm x 25cm  20 x 20 cm)
SWI: 10.2 cm Traditional: 4.2 cmPanicle length:
Numbers of tillers
18.4 3.7

47. Panicles of SWI
wheat in Bihar, India
In 2012, area with
SWI management
>180,000 ha, aided
by JEEVIKA program
with WB/IDA support

48. SWI wheat crop in Bihar state of India, Chandrapura village,
Khagarla district – wheat fields are same age, same variety

49. ICRISAT-WWF
Sugarcane Initiative:
• 20-100% more
cane yield, with
• 30% reduction in
water, and
• 25% reduction in
chemical inputs
“The inspiration for putting
this package together is
from the successful
approach of SRI – System
of Rice Intensification.”

50. SSI sugarcane in India
SSI sugarcane in Cuba
at 10.5 months

51. Finger Millet: Improved variety A404
in center and local variety on right, both
with traditional management; on left is the
same improved variety with SRI management

52. Size and width of
panicles and roots
of finger millet
with alternative
crop management
-- SFMI plants on
left, and farmer
practice on right;
Jharkhand state,
India

53. System of Teff
Intensification
(STI) in Ethiopia
now supported by
the government’s
Agricultural
Transformation
Agency (ATA)
and BMGF
Transplanted teff
on left; conventional
broadcast teff on right
7,000 farmers in 2012-13,
plus 160,000 farmers were
practicing STI ‘lite’ (drilled
> transplanted)

54. STI tef plants ready for harvest at Debre Zeit research station

55. These results do not argue against
making further genetic improvements
or against any use of external inputs
They do suggest, however, that progress can
be made right now at low cost with savings
of water and with buffering against climate
change -- by changing crop management
practices, especially by attending to the
purposeful nurturing of roots and soil biota
WHAT IS GOING ON?

56. Two practical conclusions:
1. Instead of focusing so much on
feeding the plant (with fertilizer),
we should be feeding the soil
with organic matter, so that
the soil system will feed the plant
2. Rather than focus so much on
growing plants (above ground),
we should do whatever is needed
to grow better roots! -- because it is the
root system that grows the plant

57. With SRI/SCI we see the importance of
the abundance, diversity and activity of
beneficial SOIL ORGANISMS promoted
by soil organic matter and by exudates
from large, functioning ROOT SYSTEMS
which support plant growth and health
We are just starting to understand
better the contributions of symbiotic
endophytes to mobilizing the services
for crops of the plant-soil microbiome

58. Soil-aerating hand weeder in Sri Lanka costing <$20

59. Effects of ‘Active Soil Aeration’
412 farmers in Morang district of Nepal
when using SRI in monsoon season, 2005
SRI yield = 6.3 t/ha vs. control yield = 3.1 t/ha
Data show how WEEDINGS can raise yield
No. of No. of Average Range
weedings farmers yield of yields
1 32 5.16 (3.6 - 7.6)
2 366 5.87 (3.5 - 11.0)
3 14 7.87 (5.85 - 10.4)

60. No. of mech.
weedings
Farmers
(N)
Area
(ha)
Harvest
(kg)
Yield
(t/ha)
0 2 0.11 657 5.973
1 8 0.62 3,741 7.723
2 27 3.54 26,102 7.373
3 24 5.21 47,516 9.120
4 15 5.92 69,693 11.772
Impact of weedings on yield with SRI methods
in Ambatovaky, Madagascar, 1997-98

61. ENDOPHYTIC AZOSPIRILLUM, TILLERING,
AND RICE YIELDS WITH CULTIVATION
PRACTICES AND NUTRIENT AMENDMENTS
Replicated trials at Anjomakely, Madagascar, 2001 (Andriankaja, 2002)
CLAY SOIL Azospirillum
in roots
(103
CFU/mg)
Tillers/
plant
Yield
(t/ha)
Traditional cultivation,
no amendments
65 17 1.8
SRI cultivation, with
no amendments
1,100 45 6.1
SRI cultivation, with
NPK amendments
450 68 9.0
SRI cultivation,
with compost
1,400 78 10.5
LOAM SOIL
SRI cultivation with
no amendments
75 32 2.1
SRI cultivation,
with compost
2,000 47 6.6

62. Microbial populations in rice rhizosphere
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University research
Micro-
organisms
Standard
mgmt
SRI
mgmt
Difference
Total bacteria 88 x 106 105 x 106 1.2x
Azospirillum 8 x 105 31 x 105 3.9x
Azotobacter 39 x 103 66 x 103 1.7x
Phospho-
bacteria
33 x 103 59 x 103 1.8x
T. M. Thiyagarajan, WRRC presentation, Tsukuba, Japan, 2004

63. Total bacteria Total diazotrophs
Microbial populations in rice crops’ rhizosphere soil under conventional
crop management (red) and SRI management (yellow) at different stages:
active tillering, panicle initiation, and flowering. Units are √ transformed
values of population/gram of dry soil (data from IPB)
Phosphobacteria
Azotobacter
0
10
20
30
40

64. Dehydrogenase activity (μg TPF) Urease activity (μg NH4-N))
Microbial activity in rice crops’ rhizosphere soil under conventional
crop management (red) and SRI management (yellow) at different
stages: active tillering, panicle initiation, and flowering. Units are √
transformed values of population/gram of dry soil per 24 h
Acid phosphate activity (μg p-Nitrophenol)
Nitrogenase activity (nano mol C2H4)

65. These results suggest the importance of
studying and understanding the
contributions that are made by
symbiotic endophytes
-– major components of the
plant-soil microbiome

66. “Ascending Migration of Endophytic Rhizobia, from
Roots and Leaves, inside Rice Plants and Assessment of
Benefits to Rice Growth Physiology”
Feng Chi et al., Applied and Envir. Microbiology 71: 7271-7278 (2005)
Rhizo-
bium
strain
Total plant
root vol/pot
(cm3)
± SE
Shoot dry
wt/pot
(g)
± SE
Net photosyn-
thesis rate
(µmol of CO2
m-2 s-1) ± SE
Water
utilization
efficiency
± SE
Grain
yield/pot
(g)
± SE
Ac-ORS
571
210
± 36A
63
± 2A
16.42
± 1.39A
3.63
± 0.17BC
86
± 5A
Sm-1021 180
± 26A
67
± 5A
14.99
± 1.64B
4.02
± 0.19AB
86
± 4A
Sm-1002 168
± 8AAB
52
± 4BC
13.70
± 0.73B
4.15
± 0.32A
61
± 4B
R1-2370 175
± 23A
61
± 8AB
13.85
± 0.38B
3.36
± 0.41C
64
± 9B
Mh-93 193
± 16A
67
± 4A
13.86
± 0.76B
3.18
± 0.25CD
77
± 5A
Control 130
± 10B
47
± 6C
10.23
± 1.03C
2.77
± 0.69D
51
± 4C

67. “Proteomic analysis of rice seedlings infected by
Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021”
Feng Chi et al., Proteomics 10: 1861-1874 (2010)

68. Data are based on the average linear root and shoot growth of three
symbiotic (dashed line) and three non-symbiotic (solid line) plants.
Arrows indicate the times when root hair development started.
Ratio of root and shoot growth in symbiotic and
non-symbiotic rice plants -- seeds were inoculated
with the fungus Fusarium culmorum vs. controls
R. J. Rodriguez et al., ‘Symbiotic regulation of plant growth,
development and reproduction” Communicative
and Integrative Biology, 2:3 (2009).

69. Growth of nonsymbiotic (on left) and symbiotic (on right) rice seedlings.
On the growth of endophyte (F. culmorum) and plant inoculation procedures,
see Rodriguez et al., Communicative and Integrative Biology, 2:3 (2009).

70. More productive phenotypes also can give
higher water-use efficiency as measured by
the ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration
For each 1 millimol of water lost by transpiration:
3.6 millimols of CO2 are fixed in SRI plants,
1.6 millimols of CO2 are fixed in RMP plants
This becomes more important with climate change
and as water becomes a scarcer factor of production
“An assessment of physiological effects of the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI) compared with recommended rice cultivation
practices in India,” A.K. Thakur, N. Uphoff and E. Antony
Experimental Agriculture, 46(1), 77-98 (2010)

71. Economics, environmental vulnerabilities,
and climate change effects will require a
different kind of agriculture in 21st century.
We need to REBIOLOGIZE AGRICULTURE
Fortunately, opportunities for a paradigm shift
appear to be available; but they will require
significant changes in our crop and soil sciences
Work in microbiology, crop physiology, soil ecology,
and esp. epigenetics needs to become more central
Question: How well is the Agricultural Research
Center at Sakha staffed in these disciplines?

72. THANK YOU
Web page: http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/
Email: ntu1@cornell.edu [NTU-one]