Increasing Yield Components of Several Promising Lines of Red Rice through Application of Mycorrhiza Bio-Fertilizer and Additive Intercropping with Soybean in Aerobic Irrigation System

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of application of a bio-fertilizer containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and additive intercropping with soybean relay-planted between double rows of rice on growth and yield components of various promising lines of red rice grown in aerobic irrigation systems on permanent raised-beds. The field experiment, carried out on farmers' riceland in Beleke village of Gerung district in West Lombok, Indonesia, from May to September 2018, was designed according to Split Split-Plot design with three blocks and three treatment factors, i.e. intercropping (T0= without; T1= with soybean) as the main plot factor, red rice promising lines with 4 genotypes (G1= MG4, G2= MG10, G3= AM4, G4= AM10) as the sub-plot factor, and AMF bio-fertilizer (M0= without; M1= with AMF) as the sub-sub-plot factor. The pre-germinated red rice seeds were planted on permanent raised-beds, with a base spacing of 25x20 cm, which was then modified into a double-row pattern of 20x20 cm within the double-row and 30 cm between double-rows. The results indicated that application of the bio-fertilizer “Technofert” containing AMF significantly increased growth and yield components of various promising lines of red rice, especially in relation to filled grain number and grain yield per clump, but significantly reduced percentage of unfilled grain number. Additive intercropping with soybean that was relay planted between double-rows of rice (one week after seeding rice) also significantly increased grain yield of the red rice genotypes. Among the four selected genotypes, grain yield of AM10 was the highest, especially when bio-fertilized with AMF and intercropped with soybean.