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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

11/05/22 08:45 AM IST

Direct Seeding of Rice

In News 
  • The Punjab government recently announced Rs 1,500 incentive per acre for farmers opting for Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), which is known for saving water.
  • Last year, 18% (5.62 lakh hectares) of the total rice area in the state was under DSR against government target of bringing 10 lakh hectares under it.
About DSR
  • Here, 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.

Advantage of DSR:
  • Water savings. The first irrigation (apart from the pre-sowing rauni) under DSR is necessary only 21 days after sowing. This is unlike in transplanted paddy, where watering has to be done practically daily to ensure submerged/flooded conditions in the first three weeks.
  • Less Labour. About three labourers are required to transplant one acre of paddy at almost Rs 2,400 per acre.
  • The cost of herbicides under DSR will not exceed Rs 2,000 per acre.
  • Reduce methane emissions due to a shorter flooding period and decreased soil disturbance compared to transplanting rice seedlings.
Reason
  • In 2021-22, 31.45 lakh hectares (over 3.1 million hectares) was under paddy and basmati, including 26.60 under non-basmati rice and 4.85 lakh hectares under basmati. The figure was 31.49 lakh hectares in 2020-21 and 31.42 lakh hectares in 2019-20.
  • Around 3,600 litres to 4,125 litres of water is required to grow one kg rice depending upon the paddy variety.
  • Therefore, the DSR technique is receiving a push from the government side as it is a water saving technique.
  • DSR technique can help save 15% to 20% water. In some cases, water saving can reach 22% to 23%.
Source- Indian Express 

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