This document summarizes rice and crop production trials being conducted in Bangladesh. Traditionally, farmers in the region grow aman rice followed by dry season crops like sesame and mungbean with no fertilizer or irrigation. Three areas - Fultala, Basurabad, and Bhennabunia - will test improved cropping patterns including high-yielding varieties of sesame, mungbean, wheat, maize, and sunflower using fertilizer, irrigation, and mulching. Crop data on growth, yield, and economics will be collected and compared to traditional practices. The project also aims to support women's livelihoods through seed production and oil extraction from sunflower.

1. Rice Science for a Better World
Rabi Season 2015-16 Trials
(G9: Polder Community Water Management)

2. Rice Science for a Better World
• Traditional Rice-Traditional Sesame/Mungbean
• Aman rice harvest in December, no fertilizer and crop
management other than weeding
• Soil remain too wet to plough until February
• Farmer usually plough land in mid-Feb wait for soil to dry
out and arrival of 4-wheel tractor from Jessore
• Sesame/mung established in the 2nd half of Feb
Background
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Traditional Rice Sesame
Mungbean

3. Rice Science for a Better World
• Poor & delayed germination of dry
season crops due to lack of moisture
• No cultural management other than
weeding
• Harvest: last wk of May/early June
• Crop damaged by
– Pre-monsoon rainfall in 2012-13
& 2013-14 rabi season prior to
harvest
– Farmers’ could not established
crops in 2014-15 due to rainfall
in Jan and Feb 2015
Background

4. Rice Science for a Better World
Traditional vs Improved Cropping Pattern
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Traditional Rice Sesame
Mungbean
HYV Sesame
Mungbean
HYV Rice
Wheat
Maize/Sunflower
Maize/Sunflower

5. Rice Science for a Better World
Fultala
WMU1
 HYV Rice-Rabi
Trad Rice-Sesame
Improved drainage
WMU2
Trad Rice-Sesame
Improved drainage

6. Rice Science for a Better World
Basurabad & Bhennabunia
Basurabad
HYV Rice-Rabi Crops
Semi-Improved drainage
Bhennabunia
Trad (Rice+Fish)-Sesame
 Farmer water mangt

7. Rice Science for a Better World
• WMU1 (Fultala):
– Terminal drainage: mid-November 2015
– Ploughing: mid-January 2016
– Crop establishment: 3rd week of January 2016
• Crop – traditional (sesame/mungbean)
• Seed rate & crop mngt: farmer practice
• No fertilizer, no irrigation, no pest disease control
• Weeding: farmer’ practice
• WMU2 (Fultala): Terminal drainage: 4th wk of Nov 2015
– Trad Rice-Sesame/Mungbean(FP)
• Bhennabunia: Trad (Rice+fish)-Sesame/Mungbean (FP)
Traditional Cropping (Fultala+Bhennabunia)

8. Rice Science for a Better World
• WMU1 +Basurabad
– Ploughing: mid-Jan 2016/early Feb 2016
• Sesame (BARI Til 4) in 3rd wk of Jan 2016
–Seed rate: 5 kg/ha
–Row spacing: 30 cm
–Fertilizer: 100-130-40-100-2-8 kg/ha Urea-
TSP-MoP-Gypsum-Zinc-Boron
• Mungbean (BARI Mug 6) in mid-Feb 2015
–Seed rate: 25 kg/ha
–Row spacing: 30 cm
–Fertilizer: 40-80-30 kg/ha Urea-TSP-MoP
Traditional Cropping (Fultala+Basurabad)

9. Rice Science for a Better World
• WMU1 +Basurabad (for HYV Sesame/Mungbean)
• Fertilizer
–Basal (all fertilizer) at final land preparation
–Basal PKZnSB plus 50%N+ rest 50% N will be
topdressed at flowering (25-30 DAS)
• Irrigation:
–No irrigation/rainfed
–One irrigation at flowering to topdress N
fertilizer 25-30 DAS
• Other management practices will be the same as
farmers’ practice
Traditional Cropping (Fultala+Basurabad)

10. Rice Science for a Better World
• High value and high yielding rabi crops will be
established by zero/minimum tillage
• Wheat (BARI Gom 25/26/27/28 saline/heat tolerant)
– Establishment in the 1st week of Dec 2015
• Surface seeding in line/broadcast (cowdung
coated seed)
• Strip tillage
– Seed rate: 125 kg/ha
– Row spacing: 20 cm
– Fertilizer: 180-140-40-110-4-5 kg/ha Urea-TSP-
MoP-Gypsum-Zinc-Boron
Improved Cropping (WMU1 + Basurabad)

11. Rice Science for a Better World
• High value and hybrid rabi crops will be established
by zero/minimum & conventional tillage
• Maize (hybrid Pacific 984)
– Dibbling in non-tilled saturated soil in the 1st week
of Dec 2015
– Strip tillage in the 1st week of Dec 2015
– Conventional tillage in the 2nd week of Jan 2016
– Seed rate: 25 kg/ha
– Spacing: 75 cm x 25 cm
– Fertilizer: 500-240-180-240-10-5 kg/ha Urea-TSP-
MoP-Gypsum-Zinc-Boron
Improved Cropping (WMU1 + Basurabad)

12. Rice Science for a Better World
• High value and hybrid rabi crops will be established
by zero/minimum and conventional tillage
• Sunflower (hybrid Hysun33)
– Dibbling in the 1st week of Dec 2015 in non-tilled
saturated soil
– Conventional tillage in the 2nd week of Jan 2016
– Seed rate: 6 kg/ha
– Spacing: 50 cm x 25 cm
– Fertilizer: 180-150-120-120-8-10 kg /ha Urea-TSP-
MoP-Gypsum-Zinc-Boron
Improved Cropping (WMU1 + Basurabad)

13. Rice Science for a Better World
• Fertilizer:
– Basal (all fertilizer)
– Basal + TD (1-2) depending on water availability in
canals
• Irrigation:
– Rainfed
– Irrigation (1/2) at TD
– Irrigation at 50 kPa at 37.5 cm depth
Improved Cropping (WMU1 + Basurabad)

14. Rice Science for a Better World
• Mulching to address soil cracking
– Standing rice straw: 0, 15, 30 cm
– Surface spreading of rice straw @5 t/ha (~ 5 cm
thick)
– Green/live mulch: grass pea, field pea, cowpea
seed broadcast 2 weeks before rice harvest at
recommended rate or when soil moisture permits
– Crack measurement at different mulching
• Tensiometer: at 7.5 cm, 22.5 cm, 37.5 cm & 52.5 cm
depth to monitor soil moisture
Improved Cropping (WMU1 + Basurabad)

15. Rice Science for a Better World
– Emergence
– Plant density
– Crop development, height at different growth
stages and yield components
• Wheat
–Crown root initiation, booting, heading,
flowering, grain filling, physiological
maturity
–Plant height, spike/m2, grains/spike, 1000
grain wt
Crop data monitoring

16. Rice Science for a Better World
• Sunflower
–Flower bud initiation, Flowering start, 80%
hard seed, Physiological maturity
–Plant height, head dia, floret/head, floret
fertility, 1000 seed wt
• Maize:
–Taselling, Silking, Milky kernel, Physiological
maturity
–Plant height, cob length, cob dia,
kernels/cob, 1000 kernel wt
Crop data monitoring

17. Rice Science for a Better World
• Sesame & Mungbean
–Vegetative, Flowering, Pod formation,
Physiological maturity
–Plant/m2, pod/plant, seed/pod, 1000 seed
wt
– Grain and straw yield of all rabi crops
Crop data monitoring

18. Rice Science for a Better World
• Irrigation water
• Decagon weather station to be installed at the
study site
– Rainfall, T max-min, RH max-min, Solar Rad
• Tensiometer for soil moisture dynamics
• Weather data from BMD Khulna
– RF, EV, Tmax-min, Sun shine, RH
Water & climatic data monitoring

19. Rice Science for a Better World
• Economics of rice and rabi crops cultivation
• Monitoring all activities jointly by the project staff
(BRAC/BRRI) and participating farmers
• Input use and cost
• Labor use per activity and wage rate
• Farm gate and market price of the commodity
produced including grain and straw
Crop economics

20. Rice Science for a Better World
• Mat nursery preparation for machine transplanting
• Rice-Fish
• HYV sesame, mungbean and wheat seed production – use
and marketing
• Sunflower oil production, home consumption and marketing
by WMG’s destitute women
– collect seed from each household
– extract oil by using traditional GHANI
– distribute among HHs
– take 20% oil from each HH (need negotiation with
community)
– OTHER OPTIONS??
– Can we develop an extension agent
Women Livelihood

21. Rice Science for a Better World
Thank You

22. Rice Science for a Better World

23. Rice Science for a Better World