Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) Technique

  • IASbaba
  • July 25, 2022
  • 0
Economics, Geography
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Context: The Punjab government has announced a Rs 1,500 per acre incentive to farmers for adopting the DSR method.

  • But they are returning to the traditional method of puddled transplanting of rice in majority of the paddy area.

Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR):

  • In DSR, the pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine.
  • There is no nursery preparation or transplantation involved in this method.
  • Farmers have to only level their land and give one pre-sowing irrigation.

Transplanting Paddy:

  • In transplanting paddy, farmers prepare nurseries where the paddy seeds are first sown and raised into young plants.
  • The nursery seed bed is 5-10% of the area to be transplanted.
  • These seedlings are then uprooted and replanted 25-35 days later in the puddled field.

Advantage with Direct Seeding of Rice

  • Water savings
  • Less numbers of labourers required.
  • Saves labour cost.
  • Reduce methane emissions due to a shorter flooding period and decreased soil disturbance compared to transplanting rice seedlings.

Drawbacks of Direct Seeding of Rice

  • Non-availability of herbicides
  • The seed requirement for DSR is also high, 8-10 kg/acre, compared to 4-5 kg/acre in transplanting.
  • Further, laser land levelling is compulsory in DSR. This is not so in transplanting.
  • The sowing needs to be done timely so that the plants have come out properly before the monsoon rains arrive.
  • 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.

Source: The Indian Express

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