- The Punjab government is promoting the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique, which can reduce water usage by 15% to 20% compared to the traditional puddling method (which require 3,600 to 4,125 liters/1 Kg of Rice)
- DSR also requires less labour and matures 7 to 10 days faster, giving farmers more time to manage paddy straw.
- Despite government incentives, adoption remains low, with only 1.73 lakh acres out of 79 lakh acres under paddy cultivation using this technique. This year’s target is 7 lakh acres, less than 10% of Punjab’s total rice acreage.
| Aspect | Traditional Paddy Farming | Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) |
| Nursery Preparation | Required, seeds sown in nurseries | Not required, seeds directly sown |
| Transplantation | Young seedlings transplanted after 25-35 days | No transplantation |
| Water Usage | High, fields flooded | Reduced, fields irrigated prior to seeding |
| Labor Requirement | High, due to nursery preparation and transplantation | Lower, no nursery preparation or transplantation |
| Seeding Process | Manual transplantation of seedlings | Seeding done using a seed drill or lucky seeder |
- In DSR, seed treatment is crucial, with seeds soaked in a fungicide solution for eight hours, then dried for half a day before sowing.
- DSR is more suitable for heavy or medium-to-heavy textured soils, which retain water better than light-textured soils.
- About 20% of Punjab’s soil is light-textured, found predominantly in Malwa, while Majha and Doaba regions have heavier soils.
- Soil must have adequate iron content for DSR to be effective.
- Fields previously cultivated with crops like cotton, maize, and sugarcane may have iron deficiencies, making them unsuitable for DSR.
- Farmers should use ferrace iron supplements for better results.
- Adequate compensation for initial losses can encourage farmers to try DSR without the fear of financial setbacks. As traditional method is known to maximise yields and maintain better crop health.
Dig Deeper: Read about role of DSR in combating Air pollution of winter in Capital and surrounding areas.
