DIRECT SEEDING OF RICE

 Agriculture department has stepped up efforts to encourage more farmers to adopt the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) method as a means to achieve better water use and rice production efficiency. The DSR method of paddy cultivation is steadily gaining ground among farmers in the traditional paddy growing areas 

The COVID-19 outbreak & subsequent lockdown had led to the exodus of labour. Shortage of labour was delaying the planting of rice for two seasons. DSR technology was enough popular among farmers, to convince them to go for it. 

DSR will save irrigation water, labour & energy (power) in contrast to conventional method of raising rice nursery and then transplanting rice seedlings in a puddled field. 

It is less time consuming , there’s lesser weed problem, besides there is reduced incidence of nutrient deficiency, especially iron, owing to lesser leaching of nutrients and deeper root development. The technology has a wider adaptability as it is suitable for medium to heavy textured soils including sandy loam, loam, clay loam and silt loam.

In DSR ,after sowing, the field needs water after 21 days. Under DSR no more than 110 cm precipitation is required while traditional paddy transplant, requires  minimum 140cm  precipitation. 

There is an irrigation water-saving of about 20% which leads to saving 12 lakh litres of water per acre or 30 lakh litre of water per hectares. This step would be instrumental in saving nearly 15%-20% water as compared to the conventional puddling method .

DSR offers avenue for groundwater recharge as well as it prevents the development of hard pan just beneath the plough layer.  It matures 7-10 days earlier than puddle transplanted rice, hence it gives more time for the management of paddy straw, for the timely sowing of next crop. DSR involves more precision in timing and greater accuracy in operations compared to conventional transplanted rice. It gives best yield and quality.

DSR can bring revolution in production of Basmati rice. Area under cultivation for Basmati rice increasing in Punjab and Haryana states, Basmati brings higher returns, requires less water and, being a short-duration crop, it can be sown late. 

Driven by these factors, farmers in Punjab and Haryana grow this premium variety. Both States account for over 70% of India’s basmati output. Demand of Basmati rice is higher in Arab countries. 

The direct seeding rice crop matures 7-10 days earlier, hence provides wider window for residue management. In case of in-situ rice residue management such as zero-till seeding in standing rice stubble, it will be easier for running of seeder drill, which cut rice residues and sow wheat seed simultaneously under zero till conditions. In case of ex-situ residue management also, like bailing of rice residue and moving out of field, and after that, running of zero till drill. 

Unlike in transplantation, in direct sowing method plants will be in rows and this will enable more aeration, which helps prevent diseases and pest attacks. Incidentally, it was observed that this year, areas under direct rice sowing were free from the Brown Plant Hopper pest attacks when compared to paddy grown under the conventional method. 

Experts said that suitability of soil is the most important factor as farmers must not sow it in the light textured soil as this technique is suitable for medium to heavy textured soils including sandy loam, loam, clay loam, and silt loam.  It should not be cultivated in sandy and loamy sand as these soils suffer from severe iron deficiency, and there is higher weed problem in it. 

One should avoid direct seeding of rice in fields which are under crops others than rice (like cotton, maize, sugarcane) in previous years as DSR in these soils is likely to suffer more from iron deficiency and weed problems. With unchecked, greater weed growth  there will cause substantial loss of yield, in DSR. Some other challenges using DSR are , High temperatures , deficient rainfall, closed canals, erratic electricity supply for operating tube wells for irrigation and issue of  rats. 

Some  farmers argued  that sowing technique involving transplantation of seedlings in flooded fields insulates the crop from attacks of rodents and  it helps to maintain a fish pond along with paddy. Punjab State’s agriculture department’s officials agreed that DSR has not been successful this time and electricity supply has been an issue and the closure of the canal were the main bottlenecks. 

Weed management plays a big role in harvesting a successful crop in DSR. This is because the technique doesn’t require flood irrigation for three weeks after sowing, and weeds tend to grow easily, unlike the conventional method. 

In traditional system, the sapling is taller than the weeds right from the time of transplanting and there is no problem at the time of harvest. But in DSR both the weeds and the plant grow simultaneously and it is bound to cause major problem at the time of harvest