Mechanized Direct Seeded Rice – A Promising Technology For Higher Profitability
Rice farmers adopt two establishment methods in Bhadrak such as transplanted and direct seeded rice (DSR) during kharif season. The productivity of these two systems may be higher but with low profitability. DSR is always associated with beushaning, a local practice of giving blind plough in standing crop of about 35-45 days old followed by kheluai.e gap filling and application of first dose of fertilizers. Beushaning is an expensive affair and under rainfed medium-lowland ecology if there is no rain both beushaning and fertilizer application is delayed. KVK, Bhadrak demonstrated and standardised the package of practices for mechanized DSR in collaboration with CSISA. The technology comprised of dry seeding in well ploughed field during end of May to 1st week of June before onset of monsoon using seed cum fertilizer drill.
40 kg seeds required in comparison to 100 kg used in farmers’ method per hectare basis. Use of NPK fertilizers as basal application along with seed through seed drill. For weed control, two modules recommended as per feasibility and prevalence of weed flora.Beushaning is not recommended as crop is line planted with optimum plant population.Average reduction in cost of cultivation is Rs.4500 per ha. Saving happens through seed input, less labour consumption in weeding and beushaning. In most of the demonstrations grain yield is higher for this method over broadcast DSR or transplanted method. However, in all cases the profitability has been greater than conventional methods. Agriculture department has included this technology in their program and presently 830 acres.
