Agri Experts Recommend Testing The Soil Before Planting Rice Directly

Agricultural experts have encouraged farmers to get their soil analyzed before utilizing the water-saving technique, which is not ideal for light-textured soil since the state government has announced incentives for those who choose direct planting of rice.

Although direct seeding of rice (DSR) saves labor, water, and energy, it is only advised for soils with a medium to heavy texture, according to experts.

According to a study conducted by the PAU, the DSR method can save 15 to 20% of water. Water savings might be as high as 22% to 23% in some cases. DSR requires 15-18 irrigation rounds against 25 to 27 irrigation rounds in the traditional method.

DSR may save 8100 to 1,0800 billion liters of water every year if the whole rice crop is placed under the technology, according to experts, because the area under rice in Punjab has been practically constant around 3 million hectares for the previous three to four years.

"Rice seedlings should never be cultivated on light-textured soil because it is lacking in iron," Moga plant protection officer Dr. Jaswinder Singh Brar stated. "The appropriate texture of the soil is important for irrigation, water management, and rice seed germination," he stated.

DSR has been projected as an alternative to puddled transplantation of rice. Farmers who grow paddy using the direct seeding method will get $1,500 per acre from the state government. In Punjab, the agricultural department has set a goal of putting 1,202 hectares of land under DSR.

According to agricultural experts, the seeds should be planted before the rainy season begins. "The second fortnight of June is the best time to sow Basmati." "Short-duration rice varieties are appropriate for DSR, and 8-10kg seeds are plenty to spread across one acre," he added.

"Farmers may produce paddy utilizing the direct sowing technique using the direct-seeded rice drill or lucky seed drill," said Amandeep Keshav, project director, Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Faridkot.