Presented by: Norman Uphoff, CIIFAD, Cornell University, USA Presented at: BioVision Alexandria 2010 New Life Sciences: Future Prospects Date Presented: 04/14/2010

1. BioVision Alexandria 2010 New Life Sciences: Future Prospects The 21 st Century Challenge: A Green Way to Global Food Security Resource-Conserving Increases in Agricultural Production Norman Uphoff, Cornell University, USA April 14, 2010

7. NEPAL: Single rice plant grown with SRI methods, Morang district

8. CUBA: farmer with two plants of same variety (VN 2084) and same age (52 DAP)

9. IRAQ: Comparison trials Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf

14. New farming method boosts food output for India's rural poor In Ghantadih village in Gaya district, more than half of the 42 farming households have switched to SWI from traditional practices. Manna Devi, mother of three, was the first woman to use the technique in Bihar state. She says she decided to take a gamble despite jibes from neighbouring farmers who mocked her cultivation methods. "We were living a hand-to-mouth existence before and we just couldn't manage to eat, let alone put our children through school," she says. "We were only producing about 30 kg of wheat which lasted us four months and we had to take loans, and my husband had also taken a second job as a rickshaw puller in order to make ends meet." Devi says she now produces about 80 kg of wheat - enough to feed her family for a year – and hopes to start selling extra crop. Alert Net: Thomson-Reuters Foundation, March 30, 2010

16. VIETNAM: D ông Trù village, Hanoi province, after typhoon Conventional field and plant on right; SRI field and plant on left

18. Average super-rice yields (kg/ha) with new rice management (SRI) vs.standard rice management at different plant densities ha -1 Plant population per hectare

19. How are these effects possible? We are learning more about the contributions of soil microbial populations and plant-microbial interactions to explain the impact of SRI methods Scientific bases are becoming clearer; however, much more work remains to be done

20. Effects of Active Soil Aeration with Mechanical Weeder Mechanical Weedings (N) Yield (t ha -1 ) MADAGASCAR: 1997-98 main season -- Ambatovaky (N = 76) None 2 5.97 One 8 7.72 Two 27 7.37 Three 24 9.12 Four 15 11.77 NEPAL: 2006 monsoon season – Morang district (N = 412) One 32 5.16 (3.6 – 7.6) Two 366 5.87 (3.5 – 11.0) Three 14 7.87 (5.85 – 10.4)

21. Total bacteria Total diazotrophs Microbial populations in rhizosphere soil in rice crop under different management at active tillering, panicle initiation and flowering (SRI = yellow; conventional = red) – IPB research [units are √ transformed values of population/gram of dry soil] Phosphobacteria Azotobacter

22. Dehydrogenase activity (μg TPF) Urease activity (μg NH 4 -N)) Microbial activities in rhizosphere soil in rice crop with different management (SRI = yellow; conventional = red) at active tillering, panicle initiation and flowering stages [units are √ transformed values of population/gram of dry soil per 24 h] Acid phosphate activity (μg p-Nitrophenol) Nitrogenase activity (nano mol C 2 H 4 )

23. We see also contributions of symbiotic endophytic microbes - both bacteria and fungi - to rice plant productivity not o nly in the rhizosphere But also in the leaves (phyllosphere) and seeds

24. Ascending Migration of Endophytic Rhizobia, from Roots and Leaves, inside Rice Plants and Assessment of Benefits to Rice Growth Physiology Feng Chi et al., Applied and Envir. Microbiology 71 (2005), 7271-7278 Rhizo-bium test strain Total plant root volume/ pot (cm 3 ) Shoot dry weight/ pot (g) Net photo-synthetic rate (μmol -2 s -1 ) Water utilization efficiency Area (cm 2 ) of flag leaf Grain yield/ pot (g) Ac-ORS571 210 ± 36 A 63 ± 2 A 16.42 ± 1.39 A 3.62 ± 0.17 BC 17.64 ± 4.94 ABC 86 ± 5 A SM-1021 180 ± 26 A 67 ± 5 A 14.99 ± 1.64 B 4.02 ± 0.19 AB 20.03 ± 3.92 A 86 ± 4 A SM-1002 168 ± 8 AB 52 ± 4 BC 13.70 ± 0.73 B 4.15 ± 0.32 A 19.58 ± 4.47 AB 61 ± 4 B R1-2370 175 ± 23 A 61 ± 8 AB 13.85 ± 0.38 B 3.36 ± 0.41 C 18.98 ± 4.49 AB 64 ± 9 B Mh-93 193 ± 16 A 67 ± 4 A 13.86 ± 0.76 B 3.18 ± 0.25 CD 16.79 ± 3.43 BC 77 ± 5 A Control 130 ± 10 B 47 ± 6 C 10.23 ± 1.03 C 2.77 ± 0.69 D 15.24 ± 4.0 C 51 ± 4 C

25. Data are based on the average linear root and shoot growth of three symbiotic (dashed line) and three nonsymbiotic (solid line) plants. Arrows indicate the times when root hair development started. Ratio of root and shoot growth in symbiotic and nonsymbiotic rice plants -- symbiotic plant rice seeds were inoculated with Fusarium culmorum Russell J. Rodriguez et al., ‘Symbiotic regulation of plant growth, development and reproduction,’ Communicative and Integrative Biology , 2:3 (2009).

26. Growth of nonsymbiotic (on left) and symbiotic (on right) rice seedlings. On growth of endophyte (F. culmorum) and plant inoculation procedures, see Rodriguez et al., Communicative and Integrative Biology , 2:3 (2009).

27. More productive phenotypes also can give higher water-use efficiency as reflected in the ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration For each 1 millimol of water lost by transpiration: 3.6 millimols of CO 2 are fixed in SRI plants, 1.6 millimols of CO 2 are fixed in RMP plants Climate change makes this increasingly important ‘ An assessment of physiological effects of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) compared with recommended rice cultivation practices in India,’ A.K. Thakur, N. Uphoff and E. Antony Experimental Agriculture , 46(1), 77-98 (2010)

28. Comparison of chlorophyll content, transpiration rate, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and internal CO 2 concentration in SRI and RMP Standard deviations are given in parentheses [N = 15] Parameters Cultivation method SRI RMP SRI % LSD .05 Total chlorophyll (mg g -1 FW) 3.37 (0.17) 2.58 (0.21) +30 0.11 Ratio of Chlorophyll a/b 2.32 (0.28) 1.90 (0.37) +22 0.29 Transpiration (m mol m -2 s -1 ) 6.41 (0.43) 7.59 (0.33) -16 0.27 Net photosynthetic rate (μ mol m -2 s -1 ) 23.15 (3.17) 12.23 (2.02) +89 1.64 Stomatal conductance (m mol m -2 s -1 ) 422.73 (34.35) 493.93 (35.93) -15 30.12 Internal CO 2 concentration (ppm) 292.6 (16.64) 347.0 (19.74) -16 11.1

29. This experience and these results do not argue against making further genetic improvements or against the use of external inputs They suggest that within the context of 21 st century agriculture , more attention be given to management – and especially to roots and soil biota - Green way to global food security?

30. HIGH-TILLERING TRAIT IN TEFF WHEN TRANSPLANTED WITH WIDER SPACING Dr. Tareke Berhe, SAA, ‘Recent Developments in Teff, Ethiopia’s Most Important Cereal and Gift to the World,’ Cornell seminar, 7/23/09 – Berhe was CIMMYT post-doctoral fellow with Norman Borlaug in 1970

31. FIRST TRIALS, 2008 – Duplication of Earlier Findings YIFRU ( 1998 ) M. Sc. THESIS Reported yield of 4-5 tons/ha for non-lodged teff vs. 2-3 t/ha for lodged teff Yields even higher when NPK plus micronutrients (S, Mg, Zn, Cu) added VARIETY SOWING METHOD PELLETING YIELD (Kg/Ha) Cross 37 Broadcast None 1,014 Broadcast Yes 483 20 cm x 20 cm None 3,390 20 cm x 20 cm Yes 5,109 Cross 387 Broadcast None 1,181 Broadcast Yes 1,036 20 cm x 20 cm None 4,142 20 cm x 20 cm Yes 4,385

32. In the tradition of Norman Borlaug, we should continue with science-based agricultural development – but not only focused on genes and inputs Capitalize on soil biology and soil ecology and on epigenetics - emerging bioscience field that seeks to understand and explain the expression of genetic potential Norman Borlaug legacy: “ Work for a hunger-free world and help those in need.” Gurdev Khush

33. INDONESIA Comparison of SRI vs. usual rice plants of same variety, showing the effects of management Miyatty Jannah Crawuk village, Ngawi, E. Java

34. INDONESIA: Single SRI rice plant Variety: Ciherang No. of fertile tillers: 223 Sampoerna CSR Program, Malang, E. Java, 2009