A High-Yielding, Water-Saving Innovation Combining SRIwith Plastic Cover on No-Till Raised Beds in Sichuan, China: 中國四川地區高產量、節水之創新稻作栽培法 : 結合水稻強化栽培系統與塑膠覆蓋於免耕壟土

Sichuan province in southern China is a major rice-producing area, but two-thirds of its 2 million hectares of paddy fields are located in hilly and mountainous areas that have limited irrigation facilities and are often affected by drought. Since 1998, the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with China Agricultural University has been studying the use of plastic film cover on raised beds as a simple technology to save water and increase rice yield.

Results in Sichuan have shown that permanent raised beds covered with plastic cover, compared to the traditional flooded rice cultivation, can beneficially raise soil temperature and promote rice tillering; save water; increase crops' drought-resistance; improve fertilizeruse efficiency; inhibit crop diseases and suppress weeds; save labor; and reduce production
cost, thereby enhancing farmer incomes.

Further improvements have been made in this technology by integrating it with the agronomic practices of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar. These methods include starting with seedlings grown in unflooded nurseries; transplanting younger, single seedlings in more widely-spaced hills; no flooding of paddy fields, just distributing water in the ditches between raised beds; using integrated pest management; and increasing soil organic matter by returning rice straw to the soil, with supplementation by precise fertilizer applications. A further innovation is use of a 'triangular' method of transplanting for SRI that has been developed in Sichuan.

In 2006, there was severe drought in Sichuan and Chongqing provinces, but farmers who had adopted this technology were able to maintain their current yield levels, and some even increased their yield, compared to farmers who had not adopted the technology and suffered great yield losses. In 2008, the productivity of this water-conserving technology was recognized and awarded by Sichuan authorities as a major technology to combat drought.

This innovation has now become an important strategy by the Sichuan government and its relevant departments to increase and sustain rice yield. In 2007, demonstrations were established in more than 60 counties in the hilly areas of Sichuan. By 2009, the application area had reached 66,700 hectares. From the yields of different demonstration sites, it was seen that in both drought and wet years, this technology combining no-till raised beds with plastic-cover technology and SRI crop management increased yield significantly.

Average yield increase has been 2,383 kg ha^-1, a 31% increase compared with farmers' usual practice. This integrated technology is giving higher yields with less water, fertilizer, seeds and labor, with reduced soil and water pollution, and better environmental conditions. It can serve as a good technique for ensuring local and national food security in the future.

位於中國南方的四川省是水稻主要產區，但200萬公頃的水田中有三分之二位於丘陵和山區，且因灌溉設施受限常受乾旱影響。自1998年起，農業科學院與中國農業大學合作，持續研究使用塑膠薄膜覆蓋於壟土的簡單技術，以期望節省用水量並提高水稻產量。

四川地區研究結果顯示，和傳統漫淹之水稻種植方式相比，以塑膠覆蓋永久性壟土有助於提高土壤溫度、促進水稻分蘗、節省用水量、提高作物抗旱性、提高肥料利用效率、抑制作物疾病和雜草、節省勞力以及降低生產成本等，進而提高農民收入。

此技術已藉由和在馬達加斯加開發的水稻強化栽培系統(SRI)之農藝作法整合並改善。相關技術與栽種方法包括為淹水的苗圃栽培秧苗、種植幼苗、拓寬苗間栽種間距、不將稻田浸水、導水至壟土間溝渠、採用病蟲害綜合防治及藉將稻稈覆於土上以增加土壤有機質並配合精確施肥等。另一創新則是結合'三角形'插秧方法及四川地區所發展的SRI管理。

在2008年，此節水技術的生產力得到四川當局認可並作為抗旱之主要技術。2006年，四川和重慶兩省發生嚴重乾旱，當時已採用此技術的農民仍維持產量水準，部份甚至增加產量；相較之下，未採用該技術的農民則遭受巨大產量損失。

目前此創新技術已成為四川政府及相關部門增加和維持水稻產量之重要策略。2007年，四川丘陵地區60多個縣進行此技術的實地示範。到2009年，應用面積達66,700公頃。根據不同示範地區的產量，可發現此結合塑膠覆蓋於免耕壟土和SRI作物管理的技術在乾旱和濕潤年之產量皆顯著增加。

實行此方法之平均增加產量為每公頃2383公斤，相較於傳統方法增加31%。此整合技術使用較少的水、肥料、種子和勞動力獲得較高的產量，並降低土壤和水資源污染，提供更好的環境條件，故可以作為確保未來地方和國家糧食安全之良策。