Precision management for cultivating direct-seeded rice

摘要

Direct seeding of rice requires less water and labour, ensures timely sowing, does not disturb the soil structure and also enable the rice to fit in different cropping systems. Shifting from transplanted rice to direct seeded rice will save water. PAUhas developed a complete package practices for direct seeded rice cultivation The manual transplanting after repeated wet tillage (called puddling) is the common method of rice cultivation, which is cumbersome and labour intensive. Moreover, the puddling process consumes 20 percent of the total water requirement in rice culture. During puddling disaggregation of soil particles takes place and as a result physical properties are adversely affected. In typical rice soil, wheat following rice suffers fromsoil aeration when first irrigation is given or when there are winter rains and water accumulates in the fields. The puddling is done to reduce the percolation losses and moist conditions enhance the herbicide use efficiency.