Increasing Rice Yield Through Amelioration and Fertilization on Medium Freshwater Swampland

Abstract

A big potential of freshwater swampland to overcome the land depreciation and the effects of drought in some land typologies during climate anomalies such as El Nino. Some of the freshwater swampland has been utilized by farmers for food crops, horticulture, fisheries, and livestock, but its utilization and productivity are still low and needs to be improved. The research was conducted on 2.5 ha of medium freshwater swampland at Hamayung village, Daha Utara district, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, South Kalimantan in dry season 2017. The experiment used a randomized block design with six treatments and three replicates. The treatments were: (1) Application of Pistia stratiotes + Biotara + Decision Support System (DSS) fertilization system; (2) Application of Pistia stratiotes + Biotara + recommended fertilization system; (3) Application without Pistia stratiotes + Biotara + DSS fertilization system; (4) Application without Pistia stratiotes + Biotara + recommended fertilization system; (5) Only Pistia stratiotes; and (6) Control. Soil tillage was carried out with minimum tillage. The rice variety was Inpara (Inbrida padi rawa) 2, which is high yield varieties for a swampy area that Fe tolerant with a planting system of jajar legowo (jarwo) 2: 1 (25 cm-50 cm) x 12.5 cm. The results showed that a combination treatment of 15 t/ha in situ weed of Pistia stratiotes/ha + 25 kg Biotara/ha + DSS fertilization system (50 kg urea/ha + 37 kg SP36/ha + 24 kg KCl/ha) gave the highest yield (7.62 t/ha). This treatment increased yield by 10.28% compared to control (6.91 t/ha) and was higher (52.40-69.33%) than those yielded by local farmers cultivation (4.5-5.0 t/ha).