Doubling farmers income through system of rice intensification and comparative analysis of SRI and conventional method of rice cultivation in Theni district of Tamil Nadu

On farm demonstrations on Green manure-System of Rice Intensification (GM-SRI) were carried out in 10 hectares farmer’s fields in Jeyamangalam, Silvarpatti and Melavadipatti villages of Varaganadhi sub basin, Periyakulam Block, Theni district of Tamil Nadu during September 2018 – February 2019 under Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project (TN-IAMP).Totally twenty one demonstrations were laid out in the sub basin villages. Green manure – System of Rice Intensification (GM-SRI) and conventional method of rice cultivation were the two rice cultivation methods compared in the farmers field. Results revealed that adoption of Green manure followed by System of Rice Intensification recorded higher yield attributes of rice viz., number of productive tillers m-2, length of panicle and numbers of grains panicle-1 and there by increased grain yield and straw yield. GM-SRI resulted in 17.0 per cent yield increment than the conventional method of cultivation besides the substantial water saving of 29 per cent and 7.7 kg/ha mm water use efficiency. Higher grain yield coupled with substantial water saving resulted in higher Water Use Efficiency of rice under Green manure - SRI method. Higher gross income, net profit and benefit cost ratio were also associated with Green manure-SRI than conventional method of rice cultivation. The cost of cultivation was comparatively lesser in Greenmanure - SRI which resulted in gaining an additional net profit of Rs. 53643 ha-1 in Greenmanure - SRI as compared to conventional method of rice cultivation.