What is “Direct Seeding of Rice” being encouraged amongst farmers?

The farmers of Punjab and Haryana are being encouraged to adopt “direct seeding of rice” due to shortage of labourers. This is being encouraged in place of conventional transplanting.

Conventional Transplanting

During Conventional Transplanting, the farmers prepare nurseries. The paddy seeds are first sown in the nurseries and raised to young plants. These young plants are called seedlings. The seedlings are then uprooted from the nurseries and planted in the main field. It takes 25 to 35 days for the seedling to raise.

The nursery bed is 5% to 10% of the main field. This process requires extensive labouring, especially for replanting the seedlings.  Also, it requires plenty of water.

The main objective of this method is to provide even spacing between the plants. If not manually planted, overcrowding occurs affecting the productivity of the plants.

Direct Seeding of Rice

In this method, there are no nursery preparation. Instead, the seeds are directly drilled into the field with the help of a power tractor.

Benefits of Direct Seeding

The Direct Seeding of Rice helps in saving water up to 25%. It enhances fertilizer use and enhances system productivity. This is because, in this method, the fertilizers are applied in the root zones rather than spraying them on the field. There is minimal disturbance to soil structure.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2020