It has become a tradition in rice cultivation in this agricultural country to be carried out by means of rice fields, namely land that is prepared and plowed and planted with always being flooded with water. Traditional rice planting has been carried out for generations, and it can be said that it has been carried out in this beautiful archipelago since the 9th century as engraved on the Borobudur Temple, continuing until the Majapahit era, and even during the Dutch occupation, many irrigation channels and water control buildings were built to regulate irrigation to rice fields, which are still effective to this day.
However, the method of planting rice that requires a lot of water becomes an obstacle when it falls in the dry season, or in areas where water availability is lacking. So that rice production cannot be carried out continuously. On the other hand, the need for rice as food in this country is continued to increase.
The need for water for the life of creatures in the world is increasing sharply, water users are increasingly competing, starting from water for human life needs, industry, livestock, development and so on. But on the other hand for the needs of life we need to eat, we need water for rice plants, so how can water be used as efficiently as possible for shared prosperity.
Responding to the phenomenon of wasteful rice planting, the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya (FP UB) in collaboration with Borouge Ltd. India, PT Kencana Tiara Gemilang and PT Narasing Hamurti Perkasa made a breakthrough with a major change from the traditional rice planting side which requires a lot of water with the “Mulsa Drip Irrigation System in Rice Production”, a rice cultivation technology using mulch and drip irrigation through pipes in rice planting.
This research was conducted by involving various fields of agricultural science, including the field of Agronomy Prof. Dr. Ir. Agus Suryanto, MS, Prof. Dr. Ir. Sitawati, M.S. and Dr. Euis Elih Nurlaelih, S.P., M.Sc., the field of Soil Science Prof. Dr. Didik Suprayogo, M.Sc., Dr. Iva Dewi Lestariningsih, SP., M.Sc., and Dr. Syamsul Arifin, SP., M.Sc., the field of Pests and Diseases Muhammad Akhid Syib`li, S.P., M.P., Ph.D. and the field of Socioeconomics Dr. Wisynu Ari Gutama, SP., MMA.
The application of this method is claimed to be much more efficient, with low production costs, and saves water. A discovery with a rice planting system outside the norm where rice is generally planted in rice fields in puddles of water.
When met at UB FP Experimental Garden in Jatimulyo, Prof. Agus Suryanto as the coordinator of the research team revealed that this method provides only the water needed by the plants.
“The water needs of rice plants can be calculated, the rest of the water is wasted, so as the fertilization according to the dose and does not exceed the amount of plant needs. Water for rice plant needs with this system can be 80 percent more efficient than conventional rice planting methods,” he said.
With a rice planting system in rice fields or flooded, to produce one kilogram of rice, 5000 liters of water are needed, with this drip system, one kilogram of rice only needs 1000 liters so that it can save water up to 80%,” he continued.
Prof. Agus explained that with the application of the Mulch drip Irrigation system, plant production will be better. Mulch will inhibit the growth of weeds as competitors in competing for nutrients and the growing environment. The photosynthesis process of plants is more perfect because through mulch the sunlight is reflected back and captured by the leaves, so that the rice plants grow and develop better.
The irrigation process in this drip system is followed by fertilization once a week which can be accompanied by water through pipes, so fertilization can be done more efficiently and precisely to reach the roots of the plants.
In terms of maintenance, it is seen as more practical, irrigation for watering plants every day for one plot only takes one hour. It only takes one person, open the water when finished and close it again.
In terms of production costs, it is also said to be cheaper.
“Why is it cheaper? Because there are no maintenance costs for pulling or weeding grass, this system uses mulch which can inhibit weed growth, while the conventional weeding system requires at least two to three times. That’s what makes the cost expensive, “he said.
Indeed, for the first year it looks more expensive, to prepare mulch, water pumps, taps and pipes, but in the years The next equipment can still be reused, and in the end it is cheaper.
This system is claimed to be suitable for use anywhere, by not requiring a lot of water, it is not constrained in areas with water shortages or limited water conditions.
“So this is a rice planting system whose environment we create in such a way that the plants are not flooded but are irrigated sufficiently,” he said.
With this Mulch Drip In Rice Production System, it is expected that throughout the farming season, rice can be produced continuously without depending on the season of abundant water. If this system is applied, it can at least meet the increasing domestic rice needs. It is hoped that the use of mulch and drip irrigation can produce rice crop production of up to 7 tons per hectare, an increase of 40% from the average production of 5 tons per hectare.
“Now water is being thought about, last May 18-24 the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) held a meeting in Bali, it was a global effort to manage and protect water resources for shared prosperity. Hopefully this is one of the contributions of ideas on how to cultivate water-saving rice cultivation in Indonesia. So that in the future how can we be efficient and save water from the agricultural side,” he said. (KAN/UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
