Study of Upland Rice Cultivation as an Intercrop Between Rows of Barangan Banana Plants (Musa acuminata Linn.) in Deli Serdang District

Abstract

Utilizing the potential of dry land under annual crops in the development of intercropped upland rice is one of the efforts to overcome the reduction of strategic land for upland rice. The problem of intercropping upland rice with annual crops is the shading caused by the canopy of the main crop. Therefore, upland rice varieties that can adapt to the conditions of shaded drylands are needed. This study aimed to examine the ability of upland rice genotypes as intercrops to adapt to dry and shaded land, through an appropriate planting system. The research was conducted on ± 4-5 months old banana plants with a spacing of 3 m between rows and 2 m within rows, covering an area of ± 4000 m2. This study was in a factorial form using a Split Plot Design, with the main plot of the planting system treatment consisting of two levels: Tegel system and Jajar Legowo 2:1. The sub-plots were two genotypes of upland rice from Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, namely Silayur and Sirabut, as a comparison, the shade-tolerant variety Rindang 2 and the drought-tolerant variety Inpago 11 were used. The observed variables included plant height, number of tillers, number of productive tillers, grain weight per clump and per plot, and weight of 1000 grains. Local upland rice cultivars Silayur and Sirabut are more adaptable to dryland and shaded conditions, as intercrops between banana rows. Silayur planted with the 2:1 jajar legowo system produced higher productive tillers (6.19 stems) when compared to the tegel system (5.73 stems). Silayur with tegel system showed the highest average grain yield per plot at 2.01 tons/ha, followed by Sirabut at 1.65 tons/ha. The production of these two genotypes was higher when compared to the varieties Rindang 2 and Inpago 11 at 1.15 tons/ha.