Scientific Underpinnings of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): What Is Known So Far?

Abstract

During the last 10 plus years, the system of rice intensification (SRI), a methodology for rice cultivation with many reported benefits, has been promoted in a number of countries, particularly in the major rice-growing nations of China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, which produce two-thirds of the world’s rice. However, reports of substantial yield increases and phenotypic changes resulting from SRI management have been challenged on various grounds in the scientific literature.The debate has been among the most contentious in recent agronomic forums, although it has been receding in recent years as evidence continues to accumulate. This paper reviews information now available in the scientific literature that supports the multiple agronomic, plant physiologic, and soil microbiologic foundations for the reported SRI performance, and discusses how these effects are becoming even more relevant in the context of changing climates.