18 Aug Direct seeded rice: An approach to trim down water consumption and labour
धान की सीधे बीज (डायरेक्ट सीडेड) से बुआई: पानी की खपत और श्रम को कम करने के लिए एक दृष्टिकोण In India, rice field covers an area of 43.94 million hectares (mha) with production of 106.54 mt and has the share of 21% in global rice production during 2013-14. Of the total rice area, 49.5% (22 mha) is irrigated, 13.5% (6 mha) is upland, and 32.4% (14.4 mha) is rainfed lowland. In Asia, 90% of fresh water has been exploited by agriculture and more than 50% is utilized to irrigate rice. More than 75% of the rice supply comes from 79 mha of irrigated land. Therefore, food security is challenged and threatened by declining water availability. By the end of 2025, 2 mha of dry season rice and 13 mha of wet season rice would suffer from “physical water scarcity” in Asia. On the other hand, 22 mha of irrigated dry season rice in South and Southeast Asia already experiencing “economic water scarcity”. Therefore, agriculture scientists looking for different approaches to reduce water use and increase the water use efficiency for rice production. An alternative approach to reduce water consumption and labour drudgery in rice cultivation is the concern. Direct seeded rice (DSR), helps farmers to earn more carbon credits than transplanted rice (TPR)...