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Rice Root Volume Nearly Tripled with Fuel (FAA) at 1:500

Julius B. Sugue, Konkuk University, Department of Bioresources and Food Science (Master's student; advisers Prof. Keum Young Soo and Prof. Kim Doo Hwan) · Philippines

A one-season paddy rice trial at Paju gave Fuel (FAA) at three strengths, 1:2000, 1:1000 and 1:500, on top of a full natural farming spray program, against a no-FAA control. The 1:500 plots had the most tillers, the longest roots, nearly three times the control's root volume and the most panicles per hill (23.6 vs 18.4). Filled grains per panicle and 1,000-grain weight did not differ, and no grain yield per area was reported.

What they found

The question

Within a natural farming rice program, how does the strength of fish amino acid spray (none, 1:2000, 1:1000, 1:500) change rice growth and yield components?

How they tested it

Paju, Korea (Konkuk test field, about 1.5 hours from Seoul). Japonica rice, local name Chuncheong, 150-day maturity, machine-transplanted May 27, 2016 at 30 × 15 cm, about 10 seedlings per hill. Randomized complete block design, 4 replications, 5 m × 5 m plots, 400 m² total. IMO4 broadcast before transplanting; weeds controlled by water level, released snails and hand weeding; dead hills replanted; liquid IMO and a bioinsecticide also sprayed. F-test at P = 0.05 shown. Soil, grain yield per area and the bioinsecticide used are not stated.

What was compared
  • Control — No FAA. Received the rest of the natural farming spray program.
  • T1 Fuel (FAA) 1:2000 — FAA foliar spray at 1:2000 with the Type II sprays.
  • T2 FAA 1:1000 — FAA foliar spray at 1:1000 with the Type II sprays.
  • T3 FAA 1:500 — FAA foliar spray at 1:500 with the Type II sprays.
  • Common program, Type II (active tillering) — Medicine (OHN) 1:1000, Food (FPJ) 1:500, Cleanser (BRV) 1:500, Structure (WS calcium phosphate) 1:1000, Protectors (LAB) 1:1000, plus FAA by treatment. Five sprays; slide dates 13, 25, 38, 34 and 48 DAT (order as printed).
  • Common program, transition — OHN 1:1000, FPJ 1:500, BRV 1:500, WS calcium phosphate 1:1000, Reproduction (WS calcium) 1:1000, LAB 1:1500–2000, at panicle initiation (59 DAT) and heading (80 DAT).
  • Common program, Type III (flowering) — OHN 1:1000, FPJ 1:2000, BRV 1:500, WS calcium phosphate 1:1000, WS calcium 1:1000, fermented Minerals (seawater) 1:500, at 90 DAT.
  • Common program, Type IV (milk stage) — OHN 1:1000, BRV 1:500, WS calcium phosphate 1:1000, at 110 DAT.
Results
  1. Root volume at flowering 180 cc with FAA 1:500 vs 65 cc in the control

    Growth table: control 65.0 (c), 1:2000 105.0 (b), 1:1000 128.8 (b), 1:500 180.0 (a) cc.

    ▶ 13:46 From the slides

  2. Most panicles per hill at 1:500: 23.6 vs 18.4 in the control

    Yield table: control 18.4 (c), 1:2000 20.7 (b), 1:1000 21.1 (b), 1:500 23.6 (a); significant by F-test. The speaker called panicle number the most important yield component.

    ▶ 14:12 Said and shown on the slides

  3. Filled grains per panicle and 1,000-grain weight did not differ

    Filled grains/panicle 93.3, 93.9, 97.1, 98.5; 1,000-grain fresh weight 28.8, 29.3, 29.3, 29.5 g (control to 1:500). Both marked NS. Not mentioned in the talk.

    ▶ 14:12 From the slides

  4. More tillers per hill with stronger FAA: 29.1 at 1:500 vs 17.0 in the control

    'No. of plants/hill at tillering': control 17.0 (c), 1:2000 20.5 (bc), 1:1000 22.9 (b), 1:500 29.1 (a).

    ▶ 13:46 Said and shown on the slides

  5. Root length 26.9 cm and leaf area index 11.7 at 1:500, vs 18.1 cm and 5.1 in the control

    At flowering. Root length 18.1 (c), 23.4 (b), 23.8 (b), 26.9 (a) cm; LAI 5.1 (c), 7.2 (b), 8.9 (b), 11.7 (a).

    ▶ 13:46 From the slides

  6. Plants taller at maturity: 97.1 cm at 1:500 vs 87.2 cm in the control

    87.2 (c), 92.0 (b), 93.8 (a), 97.1 (a) cm.

    ▶ 13:46 From the slides

  7. Natural science farming rice stood up while a nearby conventional field lodged

    Photo comparison with a neighbouring conventional field, not a trial plot. No measurement.

    ▶ 13:17 Said and shown on the slides

Hold it loosely
  • One season, one site, 4 replications of 25 m² plots.
  • No grain yield per area was reported; the yield claim rests on panicles per hill, while filled grains and grain weight were not different.
  • Every plot, the control included, got the full natural farming program; the trial tests FAA strength within that program, not natural farming against chemical farming.
  • The lodging photo compares a neighbouring conventional field, not the control plots.
  • Root photos show one hill per treatment.
  • The Type II schedule on the slide lists 38 DAT before 34 DAT, so one date is probably a typo.
  • The bioinsecticide used was not named.
For your farm
  • On paddy rice, Fuel (FAA) during active tillering was followed by more tillers, bigger roots and more panicles; the strongest rate tried, 1:500, did best in this one season.
  • Spray programs can change with the crop's stage: Fuel with Type II during tillering, calcium at the transition, seawater at flowering.
  • Snails and a good water level can carry much of the weed work in a paddy.
  • More panicles did not bring fuller or heavier grain here; judge FAA by harvest weight before raising the rate.

Next to Master Cho's teaching

  • Agrees

    FAA as the nitrogen source for vegetative growth Cho calls FAA a nitrogen input that boosts vegetative growth, sprayed or on soil, and warns against it in reproductive growth if overgrowth is a worry. The trial gave FAA only with the Type II (tillering) sprays.

    Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 128

  • Goes further

    FAA at 1:500 Cho's standard is a 1,000x dilution. The trial found the stronger 1:500 rate gave more tillers, roots and panicles, but no measured yield gain.

    Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 128

  • Agrees

    Making FAA: fish waste, equal brown sugar, IMO, a mosquito net, 2–6 months Cho's recipe uses blue-back fish waste with brown sugar 1:1, IMO, a mosquito net and rubber band, and says at least 6 months for well-fermented FAA. The speaker's 2 months is at the short end.

    Cho, Natural Farming Agricultural Materials (Recipe), p. 50

  • Differs

    About 10 seedlings per hill Cho contrasts 8–9 seeds per hill in conventional rice with 2–3 in natural farming. The trial used about 10 per hill because the machine was set that way, and the speaker noted 1–3 is usual in the Philippines.

    2017/Advanced Cho/swine/IMG_1562 @ 0:15:07 (translated)

  • Agrees

    Paddy animals help with weeds Cho describes shrimp, fish and small crabs in natural farming paddies eating weed seedlings; the trial released snails for the same job.

    2017/Advanced Cho/advanced fruit/IMG_3213 @ 0:07:03 (translated)

“That's why we use this fish amino acid as the nitrogen source of our rice.”

▶ 4:46

“We release the snail and we allow propagation or proliferation of the snail, because somehow they can help us control the weeds.”

▶ 12:18

“Natural science on rice, we can do it!”

▶ 14:57

In this talk

  1. 0:00Intro
  2. 0:49Rice production challenges
  3. 2:26Natural science farming in brief
  4. 3:41Fish amino acid as nitrogen source
  5. 5:10How FAA is made
  6. 6:56Site, variety and design
  7. 7:39FAA treatments
  8. 8:08Type II treatment
  9. 9:04Transition treatment
  10. 10:02Type III treatment
  11. 10:38Type IV treatment
  12. 10:52IMO4 and transplanting
  13. 12:10Weeds, snails and other work
  14. 12:42Growth and root profile
  15. 13:14Lodging
  16. 13:40Growth results
  17. 14:12Yield components
  18. 14:34Summary

Transcript

Transcribed and checked by hand against the recording. Click any time to play from there.