Application of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Methods on Productivity of Jasmine Rice Variety in Southern Iraq

Field experiments were conducted during the summer season of 2008 in Al-Muthanna province in southern Iraq at four sites (Al-Rumatha district and Al-Warkaa, Al-Najmi and Al-Majd sub-districts) to study the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practices influence on the grain yield and yield components of Jasmine rice. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods had favorable and significant impacts on plant height and panicle length and showed significant differences in the yield components of grain number and sterility percentage panicles. There were no significant differences in number of tillers m-2 as the conventional method, using larger amounts of seed for sowing, has higher density of plants m-2. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods gave the highest grain yield at the first site (7,257 kg ha-1) and the lowest yield at the second site (6,692 kg ha-1), while conventional methods (non-SRI) had their best grain yield at the fourth site (5,122 kg ha-1) and lowest yield at the third site (3,616 kg ha-1). In all cases SRI methods had favorable effect on grain yield/ha as compared to conventional method