ABSTRACT
A century of traditional rice farming in tidal swamplands of South Kalimantan, Indonesia: its impact on breeding and conservation programs

Izhar Khairullah1*, Anna Hairani1*, Siti Nurzakiah1, Arifin Fahmi1, Yustisia Yustisia1, Muhammad Noor1, Aidi Noor1, R. Bambang Heryanto1, IGK Dana Arsana1, Herman Subagio2, Yanti Rina2, Hendri Sosiawan3, and Nugroho Nur Susanto4
 
The current and future tidal swamplands are very strategic as one of the Indonesia national food barns considering the decreasing of productive land. Utilization of tidal swampland for agriculture, especially rice farming in South Kalimantan by local farmers began spontaneously hundreds of years ago. Most of the tidal swampland in South Kalimantan is still planted with local rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties. Various local rice varieties planted by farmers include Siam, Bayar, Pandak, and Lemo varieties. These local varieties have been collected, identified, and conserved ex-situ in the tidal fields of South Kalimantan. The technology of local varieties of rice cultivation from seedling to harvest is carried out traditionally and uses traditional tools. Numerous local varieties collected and conserved, undergo crossbreeding with superior varieties to generate new high-yielding varieties with flavours favoured by the local populace. The Siam Unus serves as local variety for crossbreeding, while the superior varieties include Cisokan and Dodokan. The crossing of Siam Unus with Cisokan yields Margasari variety, and with Dodokan, it produces Martapura variety. Both varieties enjoy significant popularity among farmers and the local communities in the tidal areas of South and Central Kalimantan. This paper reviews research on traditional rice farming of tidal swampland and its impact on breeding and conservation programs in South Kalimantan.
Keywords: Breeding programs, conservation, local rice varieties, Oryza sativa, tidal swampland, traditional cultivation.
1National Research and Innovation Agency, Research Organization for Agriculture and Food, Research Center for Food Crop, Cibinong, Bogor 16911, West Java, Indonesia.
2National Research and Innovation Agency, Research Organization for Governance, Economy, and Community Welfare, Research Center for Behavioral and Circular Economics, Jakarta 12710, Indonesia.
3National Research and Innovation Agency, Research Organization for Earth Sciences and Maritime, Research Center for Limnology and Water Resources, Cibinong Jawa Barat 16911, Indonesia.
4National Research and Innovation Agency, Research Organization for Archaeology, Language, and Literature, Research Center for Environmental Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology and Cultural Sustainability, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, Indonesia.
*Corresponding author (izhar.khairullah@brin.go.id; anna.hairani@brin.go.id).