Field trial of DSR method for sowing of paddy conducted

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 17

To tide over labour shortage amid paddy and basmati transplantation, the Department of Agriculture has initiated efforts to mechanise the process with the help of the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique.

The Chief Agriculture Officer, Dr Gurdial Singh Bal, said the department had made available machines on subsidy to help in mechanisation.

He said as a trial, the direct sowing of basmati was done at Khalsa College with the DSR machine, which came with the spray attachment.

Dr Mehal Singh, Principal, said the new technique would be very useful for farmers in the future. He added that the sowing of paddy with this method saved both time and labour cost.

Dr Ranbir Singh Randhawa, agriculture engineer, said before adopting this new technique, the farmers should prepare their fields with the laser land leveller. He said the DSR technique should be avoided in low nutrition, sandy and loamy soils.