1

Achim Dobermann

IFA Crossroads Asia-Pacific, Manila

30 October 2012

Nutrient Management in Rice

- Past, Present, Future -

Site-specific nutrient management

Mega trends

New opportunities

2

• Season

• Soil

• Climate

• Crop residues

• Past crop

• Management

Nutrient needs depend

on many factors

Farms in Asia are small and variable

Nutrient omission plot technique to estimate

crop nutrient requirements for expected yield

gain Full

fertilization

-N

-P

-K

+NPK +PK +NK +NP

K. Cassman, A. Dobermann, C. Witt, R. Buresh, IRRI

1992-2003

3

• Apply only moderate

amount of N

• Increase amount in

proportion to crop

yield

Early

• Apply at critical growth

stages

• PI application at 60 days

before harvest

• Vary N based on crop N

needs and status

Active tillering & PI

Early growth Active

tillering

Panicle

initiation Maturity Heading

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 days

-20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

DAT

Transplanting

Direct seeding

Principles & tools for managing N by

growth stage

Heading

• Diagnose need for extra N

S. Peng, K. Cassman, C. Witt, R. Buresh, A. Dobermann, IRRI

1992-2005

Dobermann & White, Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosyst. 53 (1999): 1-18

1996

4

1996

16 years of field research as science basis for ‘precise’

field-specific nutrient management

5

10-20% more yield

30-50% less N losses

Less fossil fuel

Less N2O emissions

Less water pollution

Less pests

At least 10% more profit

Science is well documented

6

How to bring this to

farmers?

Exploring dissemination 2000-2010

7

Based on answers to

simple questions, a

farmer receives an

actionable fertilizer

recommendation for

a specific rice field.

Focus on innovative tools that enable

local decision making

since 2008

http://www.irri.org/nmrice

Personal computer GSM phone Smartphone

Interactive Voice

Response (IVR)

SMS

R. Buresh, IRRI

2012

Country databases

• Variety traits

• Climate-based yield targets

• Irrigation water quality

• Soils

• Major pests

• Susceptibility to floods

• Input providers

Cloud-based

server

Toll-free number

8

Nutrient Manager (PHSL) recommendation

increased yield and profit compared to

farmer’s fertilizer practice (FFP) in Indonesia

2011-12 wet season; Number of farmers: Java = 75; Outside Java = 231

Grain yield, 14% moisture content (t/ha) Added net benefit (US$/ha)

R. Buresh, IRRI

NMRice fertilizer recommendations by region in the

Philippines. Total of 18,796 from Jan 2012 – 30 Sept 2012

Source: IRRI NM webapps analytics; includes web and Android but not IVR

9

New products for delivering actionable farming

advice and information

Local products

• Provide personalized advice in

local languages

• Link to other services

• For use by extension, service

providers and crop advisors

Global products

• Globally applicable information

based on scientific principles

• Teaching tools

• For use by technical experts,

researchers, decision makers

Rice Knowledge Bank

Rice

Doctor

Nutrient

Teacher

Before season

planning tools

Mid-season problem

solving tool

Rice

Doctor Crop

Manager

Nutrient

Manager

Mobile apps under development

Nutrient

Manager Rice

Philippines

Indonesia

Bangladesh

West Africa

Tamil Nadu

NW India (R-W)

NE Thailand

Rice Crop

Manager

Philippines

Indonesia

S Vietnam

Rice Crop

Doctor

Philippines

Indonesia

Maize Crop

Manager

Bangladesh

Philippines

Color coding for year of release: 2012 2013

webapps.irri.org

R. Buresh, IRRI

10

Customized NM software interfaces for

licensing to companies

IRRI

Company

Agent

Company

Agent

Customers

(Farmers)

Customers

(Farmers)

Customers

(Farmers)

Customers

(Farmers)

Customers

(Farmers)

Optimized

fertilizer

use

Custom

NM Custom NM

Custom NM

Basic

NM

Customers

(Farmers)

Customers

(Farmers) NARES

Company

IRRI IRRI AppsLab Nutrient Manager

Crop Manager

Crop Doctor

Other IT based decision tools

NARES

Company

Mobile

banking

Millers &

Traders

Input

suppliers

Gov.

services

Crop

insurance

Weather

Market

info

Agents,

Farmers

What will be the right business models?

Agents,

Farmers

11

Site-specific nutrient management

Mega trends

New opportunities

100,000

150,000

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500,000

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1000 tons milled rice

No slowdown in global rice consumption

12

Population Structure in Asia, 1970-2050

20 10 0 10 20

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80+Male Female

15 5 5 15 15 5 5 15

1970 2010 2050

H. Bhandari, IRRI

Change in rural population in Asia, 1960-2010

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

BDG IND MMR VNM PHL IDN THA CHN MYS SKR JPN

Ch

ange

in r

ura

l po

p (

%)

H. Bhandari, IRRI

13

Consumers, processors,

exporters and the food

industry will drive what rice

to grow and how to grow it.

Increase in wage rate of agricultural labor

0

100

200

300

400

500

BGD IND PHL

Wag

e r

ate

ind

ex (

19

90

=1

00

)

1990

2000

2010

H. Bhandari, IRRI

14

Rice production cost in Asia

0

200

400

600

800

1000

BGD IND VNM PHL THA

Ric

e p

rod

uct

ion

co

st (

US$

/ha)

1990s 2000s 2010s

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

MYS SKR JPN

Ric

e p

rod

uct

ion

co

st (

US$

/ha)

1990s 2000s 2010s

Developing Asia Developed Asia H. Bhandari, IRRI

Trends in farm size in Asia, 1990-2005

0,0

1,0

2,0

3,0

4,0

THA PHL IND IDN BGD CHN MMR VNM MYS SKR JPN

Farm

siz

e (h

a/h

h)

1990 2005

H. Bhandari, IRRI

15

Site-specific nutrient management

Mega trends

New opportunities

Crop genetics

revolution?

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RICE SEED VALUE CHAIN

Public Breeding

NARS

Farmer

Consumer

• Growing demand (food, energy, etc.)

• Economic growth in emerging markets

• Private sector involvement

• Intellectual property

Seed companies

Processing Industry

DRIVERS OF CHANGE

Trade

Breeding companies

E. Nissilae, IRRI

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Hyb

rid

ric

e h

ec

tare

s (

x1

00

0)

2007 2011

Changes in hybrid rice area outside China

F. Xie, IRRI

17

New molecular breeding products

Samba

Samba-Sub1

IR64-Sub1

IR49830 (Sub1)

IR64

IR42

IR64

IR64-Sub1

Samba-Sub1

IR49830 (Sub1)

Samba

IR64

IR49830 (Sub1)

IR42

Samba

IR42

Samba

Salt tolerance

+ QTL - QTL

Flood tolerance

Drought tolerance

Fast

development

of pyramided

lines with

multiple traits

Oth

er

tra

its

2 in 1: Drought + submergence tolerance

• 2 or 3 drought yield QTLs

pyramided in Swarna-sub1

• No yield penalty if no stress

• >1 t/ha yield advantage under

stress

• Not transgenic

Swarna Swarna + DTY

- QTL + QTL - QTL

IRRI drought team

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Pstol1 breeding lines in the field

IR74 IR74+Pstol1

line 1 line 2

-P soil, irrigated

IR74+Pstol1 IR74

+NPK fertilizer

IR74+Pstol1 IR74

IRRI upland farm, –P fertilizer

Enhanced early root growth

Enhanced nutrient uptake (N, P)

New genes for tolerance to nutrient deficiency

Plant nutrient accumulation (kg/ha)

Gra

in y

ield

(k

g/h

a)

Is it really possible to increase the

internal nutrient utilization efficiency?

Conservation of matter?

Trade-offs?

???

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Mechanized systems &

integrated value chains

Mahindra Samriddhi: Rice machinery & services

Sanjeev Goyle, Mahindra, India

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Retailer provides

products to farmer

Growers out-source seedling establishment,

transplanting & agronomic service

Tegra™ Certified, transplanted seedlings set to deliver maximum yield

potential in the first 60 days, supported and stress free

Full service from Tegra agronomist for the first

60 days of crop establishment

1 2 3

Transplanting and

agronomy service

Maximize tillers

first 60 days

David Hosking, Syngenta

“Small Farmer - Large Field” model

AGPPS Co. , South Vietnam

Pham Van Du, MARD, Vietnam

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GAP for branded, traceable rice

Pham Van Du, MARD, Vietnam

Farmer’s handbook

for Viet GAP

• Develop global standards for best practices of sustainable

rice production (global rice GAP)

• Develop quantifiable sustainability targets

• Develop and promote decision-support tools

• Promote the adoption of best practices and sustainability

criteria

Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)

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Profitable crop rotations [$/ha land]

Productive crops [>80% Yp]

Low water footprint/food [>90% WUE]

Low nitrogen footprint/food [>60% NUE]

Low carbon footprint/food [low GWP of VC]

Sustainable nutrient budgets

Judicious use of pesticides [low a.i./ha]

Safe, traceable food [GAP]

High resilience [Y stability]

Ecological Intensification Goals

Future mechanized cropping systems

CEIRS – Consortium for Ecological Intensification of Rice Systems (IRRI, Yara, Bayer, Lindsay, Kellogg’s)

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Who will invest more in R&D?

• IRRI:

– Total annual budget: ~85 million US$

– NM-related R&D: ~ 2 million US$

• Technology & life sciences companies,

Syngenta, Bayer, Monsanto,….:

>15% of revenue

• Fertilizer industry: ???

Patents

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

1960-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2009

"Fertilizer"

Google Patents search for "fertilizers", includes:

• new fertilizers

• new application devices

• new manufacturing processes

• organic/biofertilizers

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Patents

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

"Compoundfertilizer"

"Slow releasefertilizer"

"fertilizermanagement"

"plant nutrientmanagement"

"Site-specificnutrient

management"

1960-1969

1970-1979

1980-1989

1990-1999

2000-2009

Google Patents search

Innovation opportunities

• Nitrogen

– Raising NUE as integral part of business models

– Genetic engineering: nitrogen-fixing rice

• Digital agriculture services

– ICT tools and new business models for those

– Young professional agronomists and scientists

• Ecological intensification/future systems

– NM technology for mechanized systems (DSR, GAP, etc.)

• Truly smart fertilizers

– Breakthroughs that are equivalent to Bt or RR corn

• Soil and crop diagnostics

– Capitalize on the revolutions in genomics, IT, physics, biology,

chemistry, material sciences

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http://www.grisp.net