DSR makes patchy progress
Manav Mander
Direct seeding of rice (DSR) was a boon for Punjab’s farmers during the Covid lockdown in 2020 when most of the migrant labourers returned to their home states; one-fifth of the total area under rice in the state came under DSR. The area under DSR rose from 5 lakh hectares in 2020 to 6.01 lakh hectares in 2021; this year, the government has set a target of bringing 12 lakh hectares under DSR. Even as data for 2022 is being compiled, sources say only 2-3 lakh hectares are estimated to be covered under DSR.
Direct seeding of rice
Although farmers were willing to adopt the technology after the government announced an incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre, lack of water and electricity proved to be stumbling blocks. The field needs to be watered twice before sowing. Other hurdles that came in way of the farmers were less availability of rice seed drills, fear of low output, gaps in understanding the new technology and growth of weeds in the field.
Sharing his journey of shifting to DSR, Satgur Singh of Beer Kalan village (Ludhiana) says he adopted the technology in 2020 when there was a labour crunch due to the lockdown.
“I am happy I took the plunge as it has solved my labour problem; water usage is also less. Last year, I adopted DSR on 5 acres; now, I have extended it to 20 acres,” says Satgur. He says many farmers fear loss of output, but he has not experienced such a problem.
Daljit Singh, a farmer from Daul Kalan village near Rara Sahib, says he adopted Dry DSR in 2010 and shifted to tar-wattar DSR in 2020. “The traditional method is easy while DSR needs a lot of patience and persistence. In the old method, water is wasted not while irritating the fields but due to the negligence of farmers,” he adds.
Daljit says he was finding it hard to control weeds. It was then that he decided to sow half of his field in the traditional way and the other half with DSR and interchange land every year; since then, he has not faced the weed menace.
HS Lakhowal, general secretary of the BKU, says the farmer who lives from hand to mouth does not want to take a risk by adopting new technologies. “A hike in the incentive would have been helpful,” he adds.
The DSR technique is indeed linked with the growth of weeds in the fields. Sometimes, due to the use of low-quality pesticides, weeds are not destroyed completely, and the farmers have to hire labourers for weeding, which becomes a costly affair, says Lakhowal.
MS Bhullar, Head, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), observes that in 2020 and 2021, there were two-three good spells of rain in May which helped in saturating the soil and supplementing the pre-sowing irrigation needs, but this year there had been only one spell of rain in the third week of May which was also not widespread, so all irrigation needs depended on groundwater. “No rainfall, coupled with intense heat this year, has made things difficult,” says Bhullar.
“The problem of weeds is not as serious as made out to be. Sometimes, the farmers are unable to recognise the weeds and spray wrong pesticides, while there are times when the spray is done at the wrong time,” he adds.
Jasvir Singh Gill, assistant agronomist, PAU, says, “We are still in the transitional phase of tar-wattar DSR, in which we have delayed first irrigation, which is applied about 21 days after sowing, which has advantages such as more saving in irrigation water as evaporation loss is minimal from a drier surface, lesser weed emergence, reduced incidence of nutrient deficiency and lesser leaching of nutrients.”
What PAU recommends
Success of DSR lies in adoption of improved production practices
- Suitable soils: Medium to heavy textured soils. Cultivation not successful in light textured soils due to severe iron deficiency and lower crop yields.
- Laser levelling: It improves irrigation water use efficiency and ensures better germination. Plough the field with disc harrow followed by cultivation with cultivator and planking, then level the field with laser leveller.
- Apt varieties: Short and medium duration
- Seed rate: Use 8-10 kg seed per acre
