Direct seeding of rice gets warm approval in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

The Indo-Gangetic Plain in northern India is India’s “grain bowl,” producing 50% of the nation’s rice and wheat. In recent years, there have been concerns related to shortages of labor, which cause transplanting costs to rise and delay the planting of the rice crop. Also, there have been restrictions on the availability of water early in the season, a further cause of delay. To overcome these constraints, trials of direct-seeded rice (DSR) have been conducted.

Rice can be directly seeded either through dry or wet (pregerminated) seeding. Dry seeding of rice can be done by drilling the seed into a fine seedbed at a depth of 2–3 centimeters. Wet seeding requires leveled fields to be harrowed and then flooded (puddling). The field is left for 12–24 hours after puddling, then germinated seeds (48–72 hours) are sown using a drum seeder. Seed can be broadcast for either dry or wet seeding, but manual weeding is more difficult. Indeed, weed management is a critical factor in direct seeding. Timely application of herbicides (timing is dependent on the method of seeding) and one or two hand weedings provide effective control.

The IRRC’s Labor Productivity Work Group (LPWG), with the coordination of Dr. David Johnson, has conducted farmer trials of DSR in the states of Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. The collaborating agencies are the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT) at Pantnagar, the Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology (NDUAT) at Faizabad, the Chandra Shektar Azad Agricultural (CSA) University at Kanpur, and the Rajendra Agricultural University (RAU) at Patna. In 2003, there were 48 on-farm trials conducted on 89 hectares. In 2005, this rose to 111 on-farm trials on 975 hectares.

In February 2006, we visited some of the on-farm trials together with Dr. V.P. Singh and Dr. R.K. Singh to discuss the efficacy of DSR during the previous wet season (kharif). We visited more than 10 farms, and all the farmers were very positive about DSR. Most planned to increase the area planted to this crop in 2006.
 

Staff from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT) and LPWG visit the field trials (from left to right: Abnish Kumar, David Johnson, V. Pratap Singh, Vipin Chandra Dhyani, Girdhar Sharma). (Photo by G. Singleton)

One farmer, S.D. Singh Raghuvanshi, said, “Direct seeding is a good thing because it saves money and time. I can sow at least 10 days earlier (than transplanted crop), which is a very good thing. This enables me to take full advantage of the rains. The yield is also good and the weeds are no greater a problem than in transplanted rice. Most of my neighbors are now using direct-seeded rice—my brother-in-law, and lots of other farmers.”

Another farmer, Bijendra Singh Bisht, grew all his rice (15–16 hectares) with DSR in the kharif crop. Next season, he will continue to sow all his rice using DSR. We asked him what he liked about DSR. He replied, “Water saving, saving of labor at transplanting, and no need for nurseries. Also, [it] saves on the wear and tear of the tractor by not having to work the fields to prepare for puddling for transplanting.” However, he cautioned that rodents are a greater problem in DSR than in transplanted rice.

A third farmer, Sanjay Juneja, commented, “Direct-seeded rice is better than transplanted rice—it is the number-one crop. This season, I will plant sare (all) my rice by direct seeding. Last season, I planted only half of my crops using direct seeding.” He observed that some neighbors who had visited his farm are now planning to use DSR. Already, five to six farmers in his village have adopted direct seeding.

Dr. David Johnson (left) and Sanjay Juneja observe a zero-tilled wheat crop planted at the optimal time due to a preceding direct-seeded rice crop. (Photo by G. Singleton)

Dr. Johnson and his colleagues in India are conducting long-term trials on a research farm to monitor changes in weed communities with the change to DSR. There may be a buildup of weeds in DSR and zero-tillage wheat with time. More research is in progress but a rotation of crops (e.g., to sugarcane) could be a solution. Their plot trials also enable them to compare yields. They found that DSR can produce similar or higher yields than transplanted crops. This result is supported by the high acceptance of this technology by farmers who have been involved in the on-farm trials and the diffusion of the technology to their neighboring farmers. Direct-seeded rice is a crop of the future in this food bowl of India.
 

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