Water is going to be most critical input in the future for agriculture in general and rice in particular. Of all the crops, rice uses more than 70 % of all irrigation water in India. Also, there is a notion that higher yields in rice come with high investments on seed, irrigation, high doses of fertilizers and more use of pesticides. This practice not only results in higher cost of cultivation but also may not give the desired results in the longer run. Contrary to this popular view, SRI method of cultivation produces higher yields with less seed and less water. SRI also emphasizes on the need to shift from chemical fertilizers to organic manures. 

            The results of a study in Katkur and Bonkallur villages of Jangaon mandal of Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh indicated that the yield advantage with SRI method was 22.8% and 22.5% respectively for Katkur and Bonkallur villages respectively. The net income obtained in Katkur was Rs.9241/acre in conventional method whereas it was Rs.21847/acre in case of SRI method. The net income obtained in Bonkallur was Rs.13393/acre in conventional method whereas it was Rs.19212/acre in case of SRI method of rice cultivation.

 From the various results stated on SRI in India, it can be concluded that SRI method of rice cultivation has yield advantage of around 25% to 55% in various states. The large scale adoption of SRI helps in enhancing production and productivity of rice in India. It also helps in releasing more income by the farmers, because of its yield advantage over the conventional method of rice cultivation.

 The SRI has proven ability to increase rice production by about 25 per cent or more depending on the extent of adherence to its basic principles. More importantly, SRI saves up to 40 per cent water due to alternate drying and wetting system, which is considered a unique advantage of SRI. The farmers are convinced of the benefits of SRI and hence its adoption is spreading on a larger scale.

Paddy cultivation today is not considered as a profitable venture by the farmers due to various factors such as  the scarcity of water, huge investment and lesser returns etc. SRI serves as the best answer to make paddy cultivation , a profitable one. SRI technique helps in increasing the productivity of the following

• water -- since yields can double or more with only half as much water, the productivity of water is greatly increased -- this is especially important in countries  like  India where water scarcity is an issue.
• land -- yields as indicated above can average about 8 t/ha once the methods are used correctly, and can be twice that or more when they are used with precision and skill.
• labor -- SRI does require more labor - about 26% in one Madagascar evaluation, 11% in a Sri Lankan survey - but depending on the cost of labor, the value of increased production increases the returns to labor by at least 50% and often several hundred percent. Once the methods have been mastered, the labor requirements for SRI decline. Also, implements are being developed that save labor. In Cambodia, over half the farmers using SRI now report that is is labor-saving for them.

SRI  farming has the following benefits when compared to the conventional farming

Environmental Benefits: SRI is environmentally-friendly. Reduced demand for water frees up water for other uses; soil that is not kept saturated has greater biodiversity. Unflooded paddy fields do not produce methane, one of the major "greenhouse gases" that are contributing to global warming. There can be more nitrous oxide from unflooded paddy fields, which offsets to some extent the gains from reducing methane emissions, but when nitrogen fertilizer is not used, this effect should be small.

Accessibility to Small & Marginal Farmers: SRI also has the benefit of being particularly accessible for farmers who have small landholdings and need to get the highest yields possible from their available land. Since poorer households have relatively more labor compared to land, SRI is one of the few agricultural innovations that has a bias in favor of equity. It is true that very poor households may find it difficult to invest labor in SRI because they need to be earning daily incomes, even if their returns to labor would be higher from SRI. However, since returns to land, labor and water are all higher with SRI, any household that grows rice and is labor-constrained will do better by using SRI methods on just a part of its landholding, using its other land for production of other crops when labor is available.

Active Role for Farmers: SRI methods are most productive when used with skill and care, so there will probably continue to be long-term advantage for labor-intensive production with SRI. However, SRI should be seen as a set of principles that are applied through various techniques, rather than as a fixed technology to be adopted as a "package." There is synergy among practices that makes their use together more beneficial than just using certain of the practices; but any of the practices should give some improvement in yield. We anticipate that various kinds of mechanization will over time make SRI suitable for larger scale production.

Farmers are encouraged to experiment with the methods and to evaluate the results for themselves, not just to "adopt" SRI. The best spacing between plants, for example, needs to be determined in relation to particular soil, climatic, hydrological and other conditions. Exactly when and how to apply water depends on soil characteristics and field position. So recommendations for spacing, water management, age of seedling, etc. are not offered as universal. Instead, principles are presented -- to be understood, tested and adapted by users to suit their own conditions. It is hoped that what farmers learn from using SRI may help them to become more innovative producers in other respects.

Grain Quality: When SRi paddy is milled, the outturn if often proving to be higher, as there are fewer unfilled grains (less chaff) and fewer broken grains (because they resist shattering). In Andhra Pradesh, India, the rice millers association is promoting SRI and paying a higher rice per bushel, as outturn has gone from about 67% to about 75%. The sugar cooperative in Cuba that has pioneered the new production methods in that country reports that its outturn has gone up from 60% before to 68-71% now with SRI. This adds about 15% more productivity on top of the higher yields of paddy.

Faster Maturity: Farmers are finding that SRI methods often, though not always, reduce the time required for grain maturation. In Cambodia, on average, SRI crops are ripening about 7 days sooner than regular crops of the same variety. In Andhra Pradesh, India, ripening is 7-10 days sooner. (It has been alleged that SRI crops take longer to mature, but this is not the experience in the field.) In Nepal during monsoon season 2004, farmers got more than a doubling of yield (3.37 to 7.85 t/ha) with a 15-day reduction in time to maturity. Being able to harvest sooner reduces farmers' risks of damage from pests or from typhoons, cyclones or other extreme weather than can come the end of the season.

Health Benefits: By reducing the application of agrochemicals in rice production, the resulting grain has little or no chemical residues. No systematic nutritional analyses have been done yet on SRI grains, but the larger root systems could enhance their micronutrient content, suggested by the higher grain weight and greater resistance to shattering. Many things are still not known about SRI in technical terms. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

Rice is the staple food for more than 65% of population in India. It is cultivated in several agroecological regions. Rice farming is highly widespread and practiced under diversified soil and climatic conditions; hence there are wide variations in variety, methods of cultivation and. soil and water management practices followed. Rice ecosystems in India can be grouped into following categories.

• Irrigated
• Rainfed Rice Eco System: (i) Upland
(ii) Low land
• Flood Prone Rice Eco System

Irrigated Rice Eco System:

The total area under irrigated rice in India is about 22 million hectares, which accounts about 49.5% of the total area under rice crop in the country. Irrigated rice is grown in bunded fields; Irrigation is the main source of water in the dry season and is used to supplement rainfall in the wet season. The major irrigated rice-cropping systems in India are rice-rice, rice-rice-rice, and rice-wheat. The average yield is 4–5 t ha-1. Major problems encountered in this production system are yield instability and environmental degradation due to and unbalanced nutrient use, inefficient irrigation water management.

Rain fed Rice Eco System:

Practiced in the areas with rain fall.>1000mm and scope of irrigation is limited. The rainfed rice area is about 24.4 million. The productivity is very low (< 0.98 tones/hectare), due to uncertainty of available water.

Rainfed Upland Rice Eco System

Upland rice area in India is about 6 million hectares which accounts13.5% of the total area under rice crop in the country. The areas lies in eastern zone comprising of Assam, Bihar, Eastern M.P., Orissa, Eastern U.P., West Bengal and North-Eastern Hill region. Upland rice is mostly grown as direct seeded. Fields are unbunded. This is almost a subsistence crop with minimum input. Productivity is very low (< 1ton/ Ha) and unstable due to drought, weeds, light textured and less fertile soil, nutritional imbalances, poor cultural practices, diseases, insects, and a lack of suitable varieties.

Rainfed Lowland Rice Eco System:

It is usually transplanted, and is grown in levelled, bunded fields that retain surface water, but the depth and duration of flooding of the soil varies greatly from year-to-year within a growing season. Depending upon the depth of water it can further classified to shallow water (<50 cm), semi deep water (50-100 cm) and deep water (>100 cm). The water supply is variable, and both drought and flooding may occur in the same season. Rainfed lowland rice system is also classified as favourable, drought-prone, submergence-prone, and drought- and submergence-prone Soil fertility is low and problem soils are common in this ecosystem. Most of the farmers are resource poor. In India, low land rice area is about 14.4 million hectares, which accounts 32.4 % of the total area under rice crop in the country. Production is highly variable.

Flood Prone Rice Eco System

Flood-prone rice is adapted to conditions of temporary submergence of 1-10 days, or long periods (1-5 months) of standing water ranging in depth from 50 cm to 400 cm or more, or daily tidal fluctuations that sometimes may also cause complete submergence. Flooding occurs during the wet season from June to November, and rice varieties are chosen for their level of tolerance to submersion. During the flooding period the land may be fallow or be used for alternative purposes, such as fish and shrimp farming. In India 11.4 % of total rice grown area is flood prone, yields is low (1.5 ton/ha) and variable.

*Corresponding author: Email – sangitamoha@gmail.com

The Angoumois grain moth is the most serious pest injurious to rice, both in the field and storage.

This moth also attacks other cereals like maize, wheat and sorghum.

The infestation may reach serious levels before the grains are transported to the storage godowns resulting in around 25 per cent loss in weight and seed viability.

Internal pest

The larva is an internal borer of the whole grain, feeding on the starchy part. Severely infested material emits an unpleasant smell and looks unhealthy in appearance.

Grains are often covered with scales shed by the moths. The grains are practically hollow and filled with larval excreta and other refuse making it unfit for consumption.

The adult is a small, straw coloured moth. The female can lay an average of 150 eggs on unhusked paddy grains.

They hatch in a week’s period. Newly hatched caterpillar is yellowish white in colour with a brown head capsule. It soon bores into the grain and feeds on its contents.

Larval stage lasts for about three weeks. Before pupation, the larva constructs a silken cocoon in the cavity made during feeding and turns into reddish brown pupa.

After a period of 4-7 days, the adult emerges. Entire life cycle is completed in 30-35 days.

Several generations are completed in a year. Adults are short-lived and can be seen flying about in large numbers in storage bags and on the surface of grains.

Management

— Drying the grains under sun for three days to reduce moisture content below 12 per cent is suggested.

— The jute bags to be used for storing grains have to be dipped in insecticidal solution of fenitrothion 50EC at 5ml/20 liters of water.

— Application of dichlorvos (DDVP) 76SC is recommended on the surface of stored jute bags by dissolving 7ml/lit. of water and the spray solution is sprayed at three lit/100 sq.m.

— Male moths can also be caught in sticky traps baited with female sex pheromone.

Reference :

(J. Jayaraj, Prof and R.K. Murali Baskaran, Professor and Head, Dept. of Agriculture Entomology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai 625 104, email: muralibaskaran2007@rediffmail.com, mobile: 9655677669.)

Source: The Hindu, Business Line 
01.01 .2013

A new high yielding medium maturing variety developed by DRR, Hyderabad

Identified for the states: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

 

IMPORTANT CHARACTERS AND FEATURES OF NEW AEROBIC RICE VARIETY, MAS 946-1

•    Puddling, transplanting and Submerged irrigation not required
•    Direct sowing of as in case of Ragi or Maize or Sorghum
•    Seed rate of 7 kg/ha and Saving of seed rate upto 80% and labour 30%
•    Medium duration of 120 days with erect plant type
•    Irrigation once in 3-5days and Saving of water upto 40-45 per cent

Rice is the most important food crop cultivated under submerged condition by transplanting. This method of cultivation requires large quantities of water, and is labour intensive. It is estimated that 5000 liters of water is needed to produce 1 kg of rice. Water is most limited natural resource of late, due to failure of rains and over-exploitation of ground water. The dwindling water resources reveal a grim situation for low land puddled rice cultivation. Farmers are seeking alternate methods of cultivation for growing Rice to combat this water scarce situation.