ABM-RP is a climate-smart, agroecologicalmethodology for increasing the productivity of rice and more recently other crops by changing the management of plants,soil, water and nutrients.
ABM-RP methodology is based on fourmain principles that interact with each other:
· Early, quick and healthy plant establishment
· Reduced plant density
· Improved soil conditions through enrichment with organic matter
· Reduced and controlled water application
Based on these principles,farmers can adapt recommended ABM-RP practices to respond totheir agroecological and socioeconomic conditions. Adaptations are oftenundertaken to accommodate changing weather patterns, soil conditions, laboravailability, water control, access to organic inputs, and the decision whetherto practice fully organic agriculture or not. The most common ABM-RP practices for irrigatedrice production are summarized in the following section.
In addition to irrigated rice, the ABM-RPprinciples have been applied to rainfed rice and to other crops, such as wheat, sugarcane, teff, finger millet, pulses, showing increased productivity overcurrent conventional planting practices. When ABM-RP principles are applied toother crops, we refer to it as the System of Crop Intensification orSCI (see SCI section of the website for details).
Recommended ABM-RP Management Practices for IrrigatedConditions
Rice Plants › seedlings are transplanted:
very young › at the 2 leaf-stage, usually between 8and12 days old*
移植非常早：在两片叶子时，通常8-12天龄
carefully and quickly › protecting the seedlings’ roots andminimizing the transplanting shock
小心并且快速：保护根系，最大化减少移栽撞击
singly › one plant per hill instead of 3-4 togetherto avoid root competition
一穴一株，而不是三四株一穴，以避免秧苗竞争
widely spaced › to encourage greater root and canopy growth
大间距分开，以促进更多的根系发展和分蘖
in a square grid pattern › 25x25 cm or wider in good quality soil
方块式图案栽种，25x25厘米，或者更大间距
*Note: Adaptations for direct-seeding and mechanical transplanting have beenundertaken in a number of countries.
· Soil › The soil is enriched with organic matter toimprove soil structure, nutrient and water holding capacity, and favor soilmicrobial development. Organic matter represents the base fertilization for thecrop and is complemented if needed by fertilizer.
· Water › Only a minimum of water is applied duringthe vegetative growth period. A 1-2 cm layer of water is introduced into thepaddy, followed by letting the plot dry until cracks become visible, at whichtime another thin layer of water is introduced. During flowering a thin layerof water is maintained, followed by alternate wetting and drying in the grainfilling period, before draining the paddy 2-3 weeks before harvest. This methodis called ‘intermittent irrigation’ or ‘Alternative Wetting and Drying’ (AWD).Some farmers irrigated their fields every evening, other leave their fieldsdrying out over 3-8 days, depending on soil and climate conditions.
水控制：在整个水稻生长期间，用水很少。开始时，稻田保持1-2cm高的水层，接着等稻田水自然变少变干，直到地的裂缝清晰可见，这时再放一浅层水进稻田。在水稻花期，要保持一浅层水。在谷粒充实期（灌浆期），稻田水干、湿要轮流交替重复。在收割前2-3星期放干水。这个方法叫AWD控制法。习惯性有的农户每天晚上都灌溉他们的稻田，有的则在稻田水干后3-8天都不灌溉，他们只跟着自然降水走，很不科学！
· Nutrients › As soils are improved through organicmatter additions, many nutrients become available to the plant from the organicmatter. Additionally the soil is also able to hold more nutrients in therooting zone and release them when the plants need them. Depending on the yieldlevel and on the farming system, some farmers use exclusive ABM nano-organicfertilization for their ABM-RP plots. The majority of farmers complement the ABMnano-organic matter amendment with chemical fertilizers, most often urea, inorder to achieve a balanced fertilization of the crop.
ABM香港土华肥料使用：水稻田平整好，每亩施ABM香港土华纳米活化有机肥料40-80公斤（1-2包），另施约5公斤尿素或约8公斤复合肥作为底肥，插好秧苗8天左右施尿素约10～15公斤或复合肥约15-20公斤，散施均匀。过十天后，可根据土壤肥力和作物长势情况灵活掌握是否再追加肥料（尿素10公斤或复合肥约15公斤或者更多）。ABM-RP水稻种植法以ABM香港土华纳米活化有机肥料为基础，使产量提高，稻米品质优化，减少用水和最大化保护耕种土壤。水稻常见的烂根、坐篼、烂秧、稻瘟病等问题少见，长期实施ABM-RP水稻种植法，则农药少打。
· Weeds › While avoiding flooded conditions in therice fields, weeds grow more vigorously, and need ideally be kept under controlat an early stage. A rotary hoe - a simple, inexpensive, mechanical push-weeder– is most often used starting at 10 days after transplanting, repeated ideallyevery 7-10 days until the canopy is closing (up to 4 times). The weeder hasmultiple functions and benefits. i) It incorporates the weeds into the soil,where they decompose and their nutrients can be recycled, ii) it provides alight superficial tillage and aerates the soil, ii) it stimulates root growthby root pruning, iii) it makes nutrients newly available to the plant by mixingwater with organic matter enriched top soil. A re-greening effect of the plantscan be observed 1-2 days after weeding, and iv) it redistributes water acrossthe plot, contributing to a continuous leveling of the plot and eliminatingwater patches in lower laying areas in the field that create anaerobicconditions for the plants. The use of the weeder contributes to homogeneousfield conditions, creating a uniform crop stand and leading to increasedyields. For more information see WASSAN Weeder Compendium,our YouTube playlist forweeders (manual and mechanized) and short weeder slidepresentation for more on weeders.