Yield gap variation in rice cultivation in Indonesia

Abstract The rice yield gap (YG) is a global concern, requiring more detailed studies spatially and temporally. As a staple food in Indonesia, rice was produced from 7.4 Mha paddy fields in 2019. Better insight into the YG helps assess measures to boost rice production. However, the information on YG variation among regions scale is limited. This study aimed to identify the rice YG based on 295 historical trial datasets from 23 provinces in Indonesia. We surveyed published trial results from 2012 to 2022 and analyzed YGs, expressed as the percentage of farmer yield (FY). The potential yield (PY) was estimated from field trial results using introduced rice cultivation technology package, whereas FY from results using existing farmer practices. Our study showed that the average YG was 62% in rainfed, 54% in tidal, and 32% in irrigated paddy fields. The YG was significantly high in the paddy fields of Kalimantan (74%) and Maluku-Papua (49%), while the lowest was in Sulawesi (27%) and Java (31%). The YG varied significantly with geo-regions, rice varieties, and cultivation technology packages. Closing the YG and ensuring sustainable rice production requires the implementation of sustainable intensification through applying site-specific technology packages, reallocation of agricultural interventions to a higher YG region, and rice variety improvement to increase PY.