Contrary to general perception, a good crop of paddy can be raised even without keeping the field flooded. Inundation is needed primarily for puddling (churning the soil) for preparing the land for the sowing and actual transplanting of seedlings. Both these operations can be safely done away with, without sacrificing the yield.
Lately, several novel agronomic techniques have been evolved and tried out in fields that can help save a good deal of water. Two significant ones among them are: "direct sowing" of paddy seeds in the fields, instead of raising seedlings in nurseries for transplanting; and "drum sowing" where sprouted seeds, instead of seedlings, are planted through specially designed drums that have holes. Both these technologies cut down the requirement of water as well as labour, which is becoming scarce and costly, besides offering several other advantages as well.
The key to the success of direct seeding of paddy is weed control that is otherwise taken care of by puddling and keeping fields flooded during and after the sowing. In direct sowing, weeds are controlled by spraying herbicides before seeding and again after about a month, if needed.
This technology has shown good results in Punjab where groundwater is rapidly depleting due to overuse and labour shortage is usually acute at the time of paddy transplanting. It reduces water requirement by 25 per cent and energy consumption (for pumping water and field preparation) by 27 per cent. The most notable result is the saving of 35 to 40 man-days per hectare. Besides, the crop takes a week to 10 days less to mature, facilitating the timely planting of the subsequent rabi crops, notably wheat.
Somewhat similar gains can be obtained through drum seeding, which has been tested successfully on farmers' fields in several southern states, including areas where paddy farming is under threat due to labour shortage and high cultivation costs. It has been particularly useful in situations where adequate water is not available at the time of transplanting due to poor rainfall or problems in accessing canal water.
In this method, paddy seeds are soaked in water overnight to sprout and then sown in fields with the help of drums that are made of fibre and have holes at fixed gaps. These drums are rolled across the field after draining out the excess water to allow the sprouted seeds to fall on the soil in rows at pre-determined distances. With this system, one hectare of land can be sown in five to six hours by three workers. On the other hand, for conventional transplanting, 30 to 40 labourers are needed for the same job. The elimination of nursery-raising also allows farmers to change crop varieties at the last minute to suit weather conditions and available water and time. Moreover, low water use and shorter crop duration, thanks to the direct sowing of seeds, helps reduce methane emissions, aiding the cause of environment protection.
These low-cost and environment-friendly technologies are being developed under the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, which is part of the National Plan for Climate Change. A collaborative venture of farm research centres of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and agricultural universities, this mission is aimed chiefly at helping farmers to adapt to global warming. These have been published in a booklet "Smart practices and technologies for climate resilient agriculture" brought out by ICAR. It is now up to the state agriculture departments, especially their extension wings, to promote these technologies among paddy farmers to help them cope with the challenges posed by climate change as well as the water and labour crunch.
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