Ismail, Mohd Razi

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

Sustaining rice plantsI REFERto the recent mediareports about the possible impactof the current dry spell on riceproduction in the northern part ofpeninsular Malaysia, especially inthe plains of Kedah and Perliswhere the Muda AgriculturalDevelopment Authority (Mada) islocated.The drought which is drying upthe rice fields there has caused alot of concern among the farming.community and members of thepublic alike.Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)was asked to comment on the situ-ation and, if possible, offer somesuggestions on how to minimisethe impact of the drought on riceproduction.In response, our experts haveoffered the following observationsand suggestions.1)Weather has a direct effecton the rice cropping system andeventually' its yield. Despite thefact that rice thrives in a hot anddry climate, extreme temperatureat its reproductive stage mayresult in irreversible damage tothe plant's growth.2) The reports in the printmedia about delaying rice plant-ing in Mada due to the watershortage were incorrect.Accordingto Mada officials, wateris sufficient for growing rice dur-ing the coming season, which is .going to start early next month.There is enough water to irrigateall the padi fields in the area pro-vided the farmers strictly followthe irrigation schedule.3) Adopting proper climate miti-gating strategies will enable us tosustain rice production underadverse climate conditions. Thishas been proven by Vietnam, oneof the major rice-producing coun-. tries in the world. Its rice produc-tion this year, according to arecent report in Vietnam News, isestimated to be 45.2 milliontonnes, which is 230,000 tonneshigher than the target level,despite the adverse weathereffects associated with El Nino.4) For Malaysia, we need toundertake spatial assessments ofrice-growing areas that are vul- •nerable to high temperatura anddrought for planning, implement-ing and adoption of strategies tosustain rice production. The sensi-tivity of rice to high temperatureand drought conditions vary withthe growth phase, increase in day!night temperature and the padistrains. .5) In situations where water isinadequate for irrigating ricefields, the planting date may haveto be changed. This is being prac-tised in major rice-producingcountries where drought fre-quently occurs.6) Having adequate water iscrucial for the establishment ofthe rice plants. If there is no waterin the catchment pond, there is noalternative other than to delayplanting until enough water isavailable. Rice establishment canoccur under saturated soil condi-tions but this will cause devastat-ing crop loss and involve the highusage of chemicals to controlweeds in the fields. Thus, floodedconditions at the early stage ofpadi planting is important bothfor development of the youngplants and to suppress weed infes-tation.7) During the plant growthphase, water conservation bymanaging water based on plantgrowth can be adopted successful-ly. Our research findings showthat water saving techniques suchas Alternate Wet and DryIrrigation (AWD)and deficit irri-gation can be adopted withoutaffecting yield. Correct fertilisermanagement is another option formanaging the plants under limit-ed water. Our recent data pub-lished in a well-known watermanagement journal reportedthat managing fertilisers such aspotassium can be effective in sus-taining rice plants affected bydrought.In UPM,we are currently con-ducting research to address theproblems mentioned above. TheFaculty of Agriculture at UPM hassetup a task force to undertakeresearch to look into issues relat-ed to climate change in our majorrice granary areas .We have already shared withthe relevant authority some of ourresearch findings, such as effectsof rice production under hightemperature with adequate water,water requirements based ongrowth stages, and weed manage-ment for limited water conditions.Other findings, such as improv-ing grain filling of rice to increaseyield, have also been highlightedbut these are yet to be testedunder large-scale field trials. Thisresearch is funded by the Higher .Education Ministry under theLong-term Grant Scheme (LRGS)initiative on rice food security.PROF DR MOHD RAZI ISMAILFacultyof~culture, lfJPM

Sustaining rice plants

http://psasir.upm.edu.my/47907/1/Sustaining%20rice%20plants.pdf

Sustaining rice plants

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