IMPACT OF INTEGRATED RICE-DUCK FARMING ON RICE GROWTH, YIELD, AND DUCK EGG PRODUCTION

Abstract

The rice-duck farming system benefits both components. The duck is a natural grazer and scavenger, able to consume a wide range of developing weeds, insects, and snails, and the rice field offers natural habitat and feed that can replace the duck's basic needs, reducing the need for costly commercial feeds, which account for 80% of duck raising costs. The study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield performance of rice and, the laying performance of duck under the rice-duck farming system. The result of the study, based on the data gathered for the growth performance, shows no significant difference from each treatment. The growth performance of rice is suspected that the activity of ducks can maintain the elements needed by plants resulting in the activity of nutrient absorption being maximized the T2 even without fertilization. For the yield performance, T3 is higher than T2 because of the effect of commercial synthetic fertilizers and pesticides given to the rice for the whole period of production increases the yield performance of rice. For the laying performance, T1 had higher egg production than T2, because the duck in T1 received full commercial feeds and was not allowed to graze outside which lessened their usage of energy that could be converted to eggs this made the duck in T1 perform more in terms of laying performance into the optimal level. Even though the T1 and T3 have higher in yield and laying performance respectively. T2 is more profitable than T1 and T3 because of the lower capital expenses in the production by lowering the volume of agricultural inputs needed. This shows that the T2 rice duck farming system is competitive or greater in terms of profit than the conventional method of farming which could increase the income of farmers who will adopt this technology.