Mainstreaming SRI in Southeast Asia: From Trichoderma to SE Asia Regional Network

Speaker: Febri Doni, Assistant Professsor, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia
Date: September 4, 2024
Venue: 174 Warren Hall, Cornell University
Sponsor: Dept. of Global Development, Cornell University

1. 12:20 - 1:10 pm September 4, 2024 175 Warren Hall Ithaca, NY 14850, USA Mainstreaming SRI in Southeast Asia: From Trichoderma Innovations to the SEA SRI Regional Network Febri Doni, Ph.D Department of Biology, Universitas Padjadjaran Department of Global Development, Cornell University

2. Presentation Outlines SRI Global Research Network Trichoderma innovations in SRI What is the system of rice intensification (SRI) Southeast Asia SRI Regional Network ( SeaSRI ) Summary and Future Directions

3. 1. What is the system of rice intensification (SRI)

4. What is SRI? The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a climate-smart, yield-increasing methodology. SRI originated in Madagascar in the 1980s; it has been validated in over 60 countries and is currently practiced by probably more than 20 million rice farmers. SRI practices involve promoting healthier soil and soil biota by (a) providing organic amendments, (b) aerating the soil through weeding, and (c) carefully managing water to avoid both flooding and water stress.

5. SRI Methods Young seedlings, 5-10 days 1 seedling per hill Wide spacing, 25 x 25 cm and more Conventional Methods Broadcasting pre-germinated seed 3 and more seedlings per hill, no spacing SRI vs. conventional methods

6. SRI Methods Mostly aerobic unsaturated soil Organic matter as fertilizer for soil enhancement Mechanical weeding, IPM and soil aeration Conventional Methods Continuous flooding Use of chemical fertilizer Herbicide use SRI vs. conventional methods

7. SRI Non-SRI SRI Lodging from storm damage Darker green color, more chloro-phyll and more photosynthesis SRI Non-SRI Non-SRI SRI vs. conventional plants

8. SRI methods increase rice yield ~ 5 times ~ 3 times ~ 4 times ~ 2 times ~ 3 times ~ 2 times Malaysian national average yield is 3.64 ton/ha , using conventional methods

9. The benefits SRI in physiological traits of plants Vegetative stage Ripening stage Harvest stage Increased production of tillers and panicles Enhanced root system with better distribution Higher rates of xylem exudation Higher leaf chlorophyll content and photosynthesis rates Reduced water transpiration and improved water-use efficiency Increased leaf chlorophyll content Delayed senescence. Enhanced fluorescence Longer panicles with more grains per panicle Higher grain filling percentage Heavier grains

10. Flowers planted on bunds surrounding rice fields plot to enhance the ecosystem with natural enemies, predators and parasitoids How SRI benefits insects diversity SRI: Implementing balanced and healthy-environment protocols for achieving plant and insect equilibrium A parasitoid lives on the flower that has been planted surrounding the rice field. Parasitoid is encouraged to control pests

11. How SRI benefits insects diversity Source: Padmavathi et al., (2023) SRI Method Conventional Method Population of beneficial insects found in SRI field is balanced with the population of pests SRI Conventional Predatory Insects Parasitoid Wasps Pollinators Insects Pests

12. How SRI benefits the soil microbial community

13. How SRI benefits the soil microbial community Increases in microbial populations under SRI vs. conventional crop management

14. 2. Trichoderma innovations in SRI

15. Farmers can use bioinoculants to enhance yield Environmental constraints Drought Pathogens Climate change Root innoculations Soil Health Enhanced Nutrient Uptake Improved Water Absorption Disease Resistance Growth Promotion Microbial innoculants Soil treatments Microbial activity Microbial inoculants

16. What is Trichoderma ? Trichoderma colonization Soil Photosynthesis-related genes Growth promotion-related genes ROS scavenging-related genes Stress-responsive genes Phytohormone-related genes Root-elongation gene Crown root emergence gene Nutrient transporter-related genes Defence-related genes Molecular signalling-associated genes Pathogenic bacteria Nematodes N P Fe K Ca Mg Pathogenic fungi Trichoderma colonization Plant growth, health and yield Nutrient acquisition Physiological and biochemical characteristics Abiotic stress tolerance Vulnerability to biotic stress SAR and ISR Trichoderma Involve in suppresion of phytopathogens and pests Facilitating nutrient uptake "Trichoderma enhances rice plant defense at the molecular level and improves plant health." Biocontrol agent Cosmopolitan Broad spectrum Efficient application Environmentaly friendly Trichoderma

17. Exploration into the characteristics and action of Trichoderma asperellum SL2 Trichoderma asperellum SL2 SRI Organic Rice in Malaysia Isolation Purification Screening Molecular identification (Doni et al., 2014) Positive plant growth-promotion potentials to enhance rice plants’ growth. Enhancing Rice Growth Rice seedling growth Germination rate Vigour Chlorophyll content Nutrient uptake Metabolic profiling Rice yield

18. T C T C Results showed that the inoculation of SL2 into rice plants led to significant increases in rice growth >40% Rice plants treated with Trichoderma SL2 are more largest and taller if compared to the control Green-house evaluation

19. Trichoderma Control Rice plants inoculated with T richoderma show higher tillering and better canopy growth compared to uninoculated plants. Both pictures were taken at 30 days after sowing Field evaluation

20. Physiological characteristics

21. The clorophyll content was found to be significantly higher in Trichoderma-inoculated compared to the controls and having visibly greener leaves Physiological characteristics: chlorophyll T C

22. Transcriptomic profiling of rice plants with Trichoderma -inoculation Several important genes were up-regulated in Trichoderma inoculated plants

23. What is next?

24. Up-scale production of Trichoderma based-inoculant for SRI farmer What’s next? Developing a Trichoderma-based bioinoculant for enhancing rice plant growth within SRI farming communities across Southeast Asia. Corn as a delivery carrier Use as soil inoculant

25. Farmers innovation: Trichoderma inoculant in rice production Simple, farmer-friendly methods for TBF production Low-cost, simple equipment for TBF production at household level

26. Farmers innovation: Trichoderma inoculant in rice production Participants from North Korea Participant from Thailand Participants from Jembal, Kelantan Participants from Tumpat, Kelantan

27. 3. Southeast Asia SRI Regional Network ( SeaSRI )

28. Southeast Asia SRI Regional Network ( SeaSRI ) WHAT WE OVER? WHAT WE OFFER? Innovative Practices: Discover sustainable rice farming methods. Valuable Resources: Access to equipment and training materials. Community Network: Programs & Initiatives: Connect with farmers, researchers, and policymakers. Participate in impactful projects and initiatives. VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

29. Providing access to training manuals and trainers

30. SRI Farmer Training by SRI-Philippines SRI Equipment Training by SRI-MAS Organic Fertilizer Production Training by SRI-MAS Advocacy of the SRI Method to the Philippine Department of Agriculture Discussion of the SRI Method with the Tasikmalaya Agricultural Office in Indonesia by IndoSRInet. Advocacy for SRI Regulations in Farmer Groups in the Philippines Organizing various trainings and consultation workshops

31. Providing access to equipment in each member country

32. Providing access to equipment from international suppliers

33. 4. SRI Global Research Network

34. SRI Research Items in Zotero database SRI has been validated in over 60 countries !

35. IPB University Padjadjaran University Gadjah Mada University Udayana University Brawijaya University Jember University Bandung Institute of Technology UMM University Jenderal Soedirman University Sam Ratulangi University Andalas University Islamic University of Indonesia Sumatera Utara University Payakumbuh State Agricultural Polytechnic Riau University Universitas HKBP Nommensen Mataram University Universitas Borneo Tarakan Universitas Tanjungpura Universitas Syiah Kuala Universitas Sriwijiya Politeknik Pertanian Negeri Payakumbuah Universitas Lambung Mangkurat Universitas Sebelas Maret Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang Research institutions that validated SRI in Indonesia

36. Research items indexed in majors indexing: Indonesia (example) The SRI community still publishes their research output in non-refereed journals , though increasing peer-reviewed publications is needed for broader recognition.

37. Launch of SRI Global Research Network System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Global Research Network is an international collaborative alliance devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of SRI practices, knowledge, and ideas. This network is jointly hosted by the Indonesian SRI Research and Innovation Network ( IndoSRInet ) and the SRI-Rice Center at Cornell University.

38. Building capacity and fostering collaboration in the global SRI community

39. Providing access to subscription materials

40. Providing access to latest research information

41. Differences in research and field priorities Note: > 200 * * < 30 * * * * * * (*Data was derived from publications indexed Scopus/ Wos )

42. Summary and future directions Future research and collaboration opportunities Regional Research Collaboration Foster partnerships among Southeast Asian countries to study SRI's impact on regional food security Knowledge Exchange Programs Organize cross-border training and workshops for researchers and farmers Policy Advocacy Engage with regional policymakers to support SRI adoption through evidence-based research Data Sharing Platforms Develop and contribute to open-access databases for SRI research outcomes. Global Research Initiatives Collaborate on global research projects exploring SRI’s long-term sustainability. Innovative Approaches Investigate new technologies, such as remote sensing and AI, to optimize SRI practices globally.

43. THANK YOU Fall 2024 Harry ’51 and Joshua ’49 Tsujimoto Perspectives in Global Development Seminar Series