202120212021

Tar-wattar Direct Seeded Rice: A Novel Technique to Reduce Water Footprint

in Rice Cultivation

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

cMgI KyqI2

Contents

Ÿ Tar-wattar Direct Seeded Rice

Ÿ Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) through adjustments in Zero Till Drill or Happy Seeder

Ÿ Care maintenance & usage of Lucky Seed Drill

Ÿ Direct seeded rice - What to do ?

Ÿ Direct seed rice - What not to do ?

Ÿ Other important tips

Ÿ Identication of major weeds of DSR eld

3

Rice was seeded directly in about one-fifth of total area under rice in the state in 2020. Direct seeding of rice (DSR) helped in timely completion of rice transplanting over a large area in spite of labour shortage owing to COVID. DSR saves irrigation water (about 15-20%) and offers about 10-15% higher ground water recharge than puddled transplanted rice (PTR). It offers real water saving as evaporation loss of water from a moist field (in case of DSR) is significantly lower than from a ponded field. It saves labor also. Wheat grain yield, after DSR, are 100 kg/acre higher than after PTR. DSR crop is less prone to infestation of insects and diseases (like sheath blight, foot rot) than transplanted crop.

A novel method of direct seeding called 'Tar-wattar DSR' was recommended and successfully adopted at a large scale in 2020 in the state. In 'Tar-wattar DSR', a major departure from the earlier practice is delayed first irrigation which is applied at about 21 days after sowing which has many added advantages, for example, 1) more saving in irrigation water as evaporation loss is minimal from a drier surface 2) lesser weed emergence 3) reduced incidence of nutrient deficiency especially iron owing to deeper root development and lesser leaching of nutrients and 4) wider adaptability and 5) Rice yield are comparable with PTR; if in any case, yield is bit lower, the profits are no lesser than PTR.

The success of 'tar-wattar DSR' lies in the adoption of improved production practices which are discussed below:

Suitable soils: Medium to heavy textured soils (like sandy loam, loam, clay-loam, silt-loam) which accounts for around 87% area of the state are most suitable. DSR should not be cultivated in light textured soils (sandy, loamy sand), as these soils suffer from severe iron deficiency, poor establishment and higher weed problems. Also avoid DSR in fields which had been under crops others than rice (like cotton, maize, sugarcane) in previous years as there is likelihood of higher weed problems.

Suitable varieties: Short and medium duration varieties are the most suitable, as these varieties have- 1) faster early growth rate hence better smothering effect on weeds 2) consume less irrigation water 3) mature earlier hence ensures timely sowing of succeeding wheat crop 4) have less volume of straw hence easy to manage -as compared to long duration varieties.

Ideal sowing time: First fortnight of June (1- 15 June) is the optimum time for direct sowing. Short duration varieties like PR 126 and Pusa basmati 1509 can be direct seeded in second fortnight of June also. If farmers are to plant potato/pea, after DSR, these early maturing varieties can be sown in first fortnight of June. Very early sowing may reduce yield due to spikelet sterility as happened last year and will use higher irrigation water owing to higher evaporative demand.

Optimum seed rate: Use 8-10 kg seed per acre. Use of higher seed may result in more incidence of diseases like sheath blight and causes spikelet sterility while lower seed rate results in plant population lower than optimum which lowers grain yield. Soak seed in 10 litres of water for 8 hours (maximum soaking upto 12 hours) and dry in shade for half an hour; this ensures early emergence. After drying, treat rice seed with 3 g Sprint 75 WS (mencozeb + carbendazim) by dissolving in 10-12 ml water per kg seed; make paste of fungicide solution and rub on the seed. Seed treatment reduces incidence of seed borne diseases and, water priming prior to seed treatment improves rice germination and seedling establishment.

Field preparation: Precise leveling of field ensures uniform distribution of irrigation water across the field and young rice seedlings do not experience anaerobic conditions under deep ponding. After laser leveling, divide field into plots (kiyaras) and apply pre-sowing (rauni) irrigation. Prepare the field when it comes to tar-wattar (at good soil moisture) condition with a shallow cultivation followed by two planking and sow immediately.

Method of sowing: Prefer 'Lucky Seed Drill' which sow rice and spray pre-emergence herbicide simultaneously. Lucky seed drill (with press wheel attachment) helps in solving problem of krand formation, conserve soil moisture for a longer period and enhances efficiency of applied herbicide. If this machine is not available, then use conventional rice seed drills fitted with inclined plate metering mechanism and spray herbicide immediately after sowing. Press wheels can also be fitted to any existing rice drill at a cost of Rs. 8 to 10 thousands. Place seed at 3.0 to 4.0 cm (1¼ to 1½ inch) deep in 20 cm spaced rows. Always do eld preparation, sowing and herbicide spray in evening hours.

Weed management: Spray Stomp/Bunker 30 EC (pendimethalin) at 1.0 litre/acre in 200 litres of water, in a moist field, immediately after sowing. It happens simultaneously in case of sowing with 'Lucky Seed Drill'. The herbicide provides effective control of annual grass weeds like swank, madhana, takri gha and small seeded broadleaf weeds. Afterward, weeds can be controlled by hand weeding or by application of post-emergence herbicide depending on weed flora as given in Table 1.

Few weed plants may germinate at later stages or escape herbicides which may not adversely affect rice yield but these weed plants must be removed before they set seed to lessen weed problem in next season.

Tar-wattarDirectSeededRice

4

Irrigation scheduling: In a 'Tar-wattar DSR' field, apply first irrigation at about 21 days after sowing. During this period, the plant diverts more resources in root development hence farmers should not be put off by slow aboveground plant growth. The problem of nutrient deficiency, iron in particular, is also markedly less owing to lesser leaching of nutrients and deeper root development. The dried up soil surface discourage weed germination also. If there is rain before germination/emergence and there is crust formation on soil surface (krand honaa) then break the crust with 'Sariyan waali krandi' but apply first irrigation at around 21 days. After first irrigation, irrigate at 5 to 7 days interval depending on soil type and monsoon rains. Apply last irrigation 10 days before harvest. Keep the eld moist and never try to keep eld ponded with water as it enhances pest and disease incidence and enhances water consumption also, with no extra benet in yield.

Fertilization: For parmal rice, broadcast 130 kg Urea/acre to in three equal splits at 4, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing and, for basmati rice, broadcast 54 kg Urea/acre in three equal splits at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing. Phosphorus and potash fertilizers should be applied only if the soil test shows deficiency of these nutrients. In case of iron deficiency, apply 2 foliar sprays of 1% Ferrous Sulphate (1 kg ferrous sulphate in 100 litres of water) at weekly interval.

Management of ‘Chobha/Ralah’:

1. Do not go for early sowing (in May).

2. Adopt short duration varieties.

3. Adopt ‘Tar-wattar DSR’.

4. Do not allow chobha plants to produce seed.

5. Consult farmers who have longtime experience in DSR.

Jasvir Singh Gill, Makhan Singh BhullarDepartment of Agronomy

Table 1. Herbicides for post-emergence weed control in DSR.

Name of herbicide Dose/Acre Target weed ora

Nominee Gold 10 SC 100 ml Swank, swanki, annual sedges(bispyribac sodium)

Ricestar 6.7 EC (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl) 400 ml Madhana, Leptochloa (ghora gha), chiri gha, takri gha

Almix 20 WP (chlorimuron ethyl 10% 8 g Broadleaf weeds, annual and perennial sedges+ metsulfuron methyl 10%) including gandi wala dila

Vivaya 6 OD (penoxsulam 1.02% 900 ml Swank, swanki, ghora gha, broadleaf weeds,annual + cyhalofop 5.1%) sedges

Council Activ 30 WG (triafamone 90 g Swank, swanki, madhana, ghora gha, broadleaf weeds, 20% + ethoxysulfuron 10%) annual and perennial sedges including gandi wala dila

Apply any of the above herbicide, depending on the weed flora in the field, in 150 litre of water per acre at 15 to 25 days after sowing, in a moist field, when weed plants are in 2 to 4 leaf stages.

5

If a farmer don't have direct seed rice drill he can carry out direct seeding with Zero Till Drill or Happy Seeder after making some adjustments in them. Replace the sprocket of fertilizer mechanism with another sprocket having double number of teeth or more and thereafter, metering mechanism of these machines can be adjusted by following procedure:

1. Replace the sprocket of the fertilizer mechanism with another sprocket having double number of teeth or more and place the drill/seeder on the leveled surface. Jack-up the machine and keep it on wooden block while ensuring free rotation of the driving wheel.

2. Adjust control lever of fertilizer box such that open length of fluted roller is about half inch (~1.25 cm). Keeping open length of fluted roller lesser than this would result in seed damage.

3. Put seeds on fluted roller. Seeds should have been soaked in water for 8-10 hours and thereafter should have been dried in shade.

4. Rotate ground wheel for some rotations so that there is uniform flow of seeds in the tube.

Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) through adjustments in Zero Till Drill or Happy Seeder

1. Lucky Seed Drill does sowing and spray of pre-emergence herbicide simultaneously, owing to its

automatic switching system attachment

2. This machine applies basal fertilizer/s also, if required, and is equipped with fluted roller metering system

3. This machine has inclined plate metering system for sowing thus make sure that every inclined plate is

fitted in its assembly, so as to avoid breakage of seed during sowing

4. Do not let rice seed to sprout during hydro-priming, to avoid seed breakage during sowing

5. Lubricate all bearings and brushes regularly (2-3 days interval) using grease and Mobil-Oil

6. Automatic spraying system take direct current from tractor's battery thus always connect its wires

directly and tightly to battery terminals to avoid current losses and cover terminals properly after

connecting

7. Avoid tampering with wiring and its insulation, to avoid any kind of sparking

8. Do not remove cover of diaphragm pump/motor, to avoid its damage by moisture and dust particles

9. Never remove and throw filter/s kept inside solution tank and in nozzle bodies, to avoid clogging of

nozzles. And clean these filters and nozzle tips regularly for un-interrupted flow of spray solution at

desired pressure, as these filters functions as kidneys of machine.

10. Before sowing, always calibrate newly purchased or hired machine for proper quantity of spray fluid and

seed rate using standard calibration procedure.

11. Depth of tynes running behind rear wheels of tractor can be increased by welding 1 to 1½ inch iron piece,

below the tyne, as per need for maintaining uniformity in seeding depth

12. Always prefer Rehal sowing instead of roundabout (Ghere-rukh) sowing while using Lucky Seed Drill

for ensuring uniform application of seed and spray in the field

Care, Maintenance and Usage of Lucky Seed Drill

6

5. Place container or bag under fertilizer tube. Rotate ground wheel for once and collect seeds.

6. Take a piece of rope and cut it equal to circumference of the ground wheel (without lugs)

7. Keep the rope straight on the ground and distribute the collected seeds uniformly along the length of the rope.

8. Take one meter scale and keep it along the line of seeds. Count number of seeds per meter length which should be 16-20.

9. If seed number per meter row length is lesser than recommended, increase opening length of roller with help of fertilizer control lever or vice versa.

10. Keep repeating this activity till desired numbers of seeds per meter length are achieved.

11. When desired number of seeds per meter length is achieved, fix fertilizer control lever tightly.

12. If direct seeding of rice is being carried out by making adjustments in Happy Seeder machine, disengage the power to rotor of the machine before sowing operation.

Note: 1. If fertilizer metering mechanism is not of fluted roller type then seed metering mechanism available in seed drill can be used by adopting same procedure mentioned as above. Lower the seed selection lever of the seed metering mechanism to the lower most position to avoid Crackage/damage of seed.

Note: 2 Inclined plate metering mechanism available in local market can also be attached with a seed drill or Happy Seeder to direct drill of rice seed.

Battery operated spray system for happy seeder/zero till drill for direct seeding of rice

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana has recommended application of pre-emergent herbicide for control of weeds in direct seeded rice. In case of non-availability of Lucky seed rill, spray system can be attached with Zero till drill/Happy seeder The procedure for attachment of spray system to Zero till drill/Happy seeder is given below;

1. Fit a tank of 200 liter capacity in the front of tractor using the channel and flat section.

2. Fit two diaphragm pumps (having 200 psi pressure, discharge 8 l/min and 12 v) on the tank in such a way that each pump gets inlet spray liquid form the tank, through a filter.

3. Fit discharge pipes (about 25 feet) on the outlets of both pumps and power the pumps from 12 V DC supply from tractor battery.

4. Fix 6 nozzles (cut nozzles having discharge of 800 ml/min) at a spacing of about 50 cm on a boom with the help of 6 T-sections.

5. Connect three nozzles with one pump and other three to the second pump discharge line.

6. Attach end cap on the delivery pipes after three nozzles.

Filter must be provided in the suction line of both pumps to avoid frequent clogging of nozzles.

Rajesh Goyal, Manpreet Singh and Gursahib SinghDepartment of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering

Happy seeder with spray attachment

7

1. Go for direct seeding only on medium and heavy textured soils

2. Prefer direct seeding in fields which had been under rice cultivation during previous years

3. First fortnight of June (1-15 June) is the most suitable for direct seeding

4. Use only short and medium duration varieties for direct seeding

5. Prepare field in tar-wattar condition, with a shallow cultivation followed by two planking, and sow immediately

6. Use 8 to10 kg seed per acre

7. Always sow in straight rows (rehlan wich)

8. Apply first irrigation at around 21 days after sowing

9. Always do field preparation, sowing and herbicide spray in evening hours

10. Always spray herbicide in a moist field

11. Apply post-emergence herbicide when weed plants are within 2 to 4 leaf stages

Do not go for direct seeding on light textured soils

Avoid direct seeding in fields which had been under crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane etc. in previous years as there is more likelihood of higher density & diversity of weeds

Do not go for early sowing (in month of May) as it may reduce yield due to spikelet sterility owing to disturbed fertilization during hotter months.

Long duration varieties are more prone to pest infestation and consume higher irrigation water also

Avoid any time gaps between field preparation, sowing and herbicide spray

Higher seed result in spikelet sterility and enhance pests incidence while low seed results in gaps which lower yield

Do not sow in round about method (ghere rukh) as it uses more seed and more herbicide

Do not go for early irrigation as it enhances weed infestation and crop becomes more prone to iron deficiency

Never do field preparation, sowing and herbicide spray in noon hours

Never spray herbicide in a dry field

Any delay in herbicide spray (on large weed plants) will reduce herbicide efficacy

Direct seed rice- What to do Direct seeded rice- What not to do

Other Important Tips1. Preparation of field at proper wattar is the key to success of tar-wattar DSR. Farmers must monitor field

wattar himself and must not allow workable wattar (tar-wattar) to go

2. Keep DSR field moist. There is no need to keep DSR field ponded with water

3. To know when to irrigate, always visit DSR field in early morning hours. If crop plants show wilting symptoms during morning hours, then apply irrigation

4. Prefer modified 'Lucky Seed Drill' (with press wheels) for direct seeding as it reduces problem of crust (krand) formation, conserve soil moisture and enhances herbicide efficiency

5. If there is rain before germination/ emergence and crust formation (krand honaa) on surface then break it with crust braker ('Sariyan waali krandi')

6. Farmers adopting direct seeding first time advised to keep less area (around 20%) under DSR.

Swank Swanki Chinese Grass

Madhana Takri Grass

Chupati Tandla Chulai

Chhatri Wala Motha Gandi Wala Motha

Major weeds of direct seeded rice