Agricultural extension requires close communication with farmers, and researchers must consider farmers’ perspectives on crop management. Farmers tend to take into account the canopy appearance when they decide on fertilizer application, and this is often neglected in crop management recommendations by researchers. Our objectives were to dissect the growth characteristics that farmers implicitly account for in nutrient management of tropical rice. Farmer participatory trials were conducted in irrigated and rainfed lowlands in the Philippines during the wet seasons of 2014, 2015, and 2016. Each year, 30 participating farmers made decisions on fertilizer management for plots with different seedling ages and planting densities. These treatments greatly changed the canopy appearance, and affected farmer decisions on nitrogen (N) management, particularly in the first year. We found that plant height and leaf greenness were the major determinants of their decisions in irrigated lowlands. Under rainfed conditions, the risk of drought made farmers focus on tillering rather than plant elongation and leaf color during early growth stages, and on canopy cover and plant elongation during later stages. Across years and water regimes, farmers applied 78% more N than researchers without generally increasing grain yield. Since crop diagnosis is a key for successful management by farmers, guidelines for efficient nutrient management should include numerical targets for the traits emphasized by farmers. That will help farmers better understand their crops, and the guidelines will be more user-friendly than providing only a fertilizer application prescription.

中文翻译：

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农业推广计划中的农民参与研究：热带水稻肥料管理的案例研究

农业推广需要与农民密切沟通，研究人员必须考虑农民对作物管理的看法。农民在决定施肥时往往会考虑树冠的外观，这在研究人员的作物管理建议中经常被忽视。我们的目标是剖析农民在热带水稻养分管理中隐含的生长特征。在 2014 年、2015 年和 2016 年的雨季，在菲律宾的灌溉和雨养低地进行了农民参与试验。每年，30 名参与的农民对不同苗龄和种植密度的地块进行肥料管理决策。这些处理极大地改变了冠层的外观，并影响了农民对氮 (N) 管理的决策，特别是在第一年。我们发现植物高度和叶绿度是他们在灌溉低地做出决定的主要决定因素。在雨养条件下，干旱风险使农民在生长早期关注分蘖而不是植物伸长和叶色，而在后期则关注冠层覆盖和植物伸长。在多年和水情中，农民施用的氮比研究人员多 78%，而谷物产量并未普遍增加。由于作物诊断是农民成功管理的关键，因此有效养分管理指南应包括农民强调的性状的数字目标。这将帮助农民更好地了解他们的作物，并且该指南将比仅提供施肥处方更加用户友好。我们发现植物高度和叶绿度是他们在灌溉低地做出决定的主要决定因素。在雨养条件下，干旱风险使农民在生长早期关注分蘖而不是植物伸长和叶色，而在后期则关注冠层覆盖和植物伸长。在多年和水情中，农民施用的氮比研究人员多 78%，而谷物产量并未普遍增加。由于作物诊断是农民成功管理的关键，因此有效养分管理指南应包括农民强调的性状的数字目标。这将帮助农民更好地了解他们的作物，并且该指南将比仅提供施肥处方更加用户友好。我们发现植物高度和叶绿度是他们在灌溉低地做出决定的主要决定因素。在雨养条件下，干旱风险使农民在生长早期关注分蘖而不是植物伸长和叶色，而在后期则关注冠层覆盖和植物伸长。在多年和水情中，农民施用的氮比研究人员多 78%，而谷物产量并未普遍增加。由于作物诊断是农民成功管理的关键，因此有效养分管理指南应包括农民强调的性状的数字目标。这将帮助农民更好地了解他们的作物，并且该指南将比仅提供施肥处方更加用户友好。