By Ashok Kumar and Narayan Banik
ODISHA, India, 25 May—Around 200 hundred rice farmers, scientists, and other
stakeholders evaluated the performance
of two new rice varieties that can better
withstand flooding and drought during a recent field day in Puri District (photos above and below).
Kumar clarified that both mechanical transplanted rice (MTR) and
direct seeded rice (DSR) under nonpuddled situation are planted only during the
wet season. “Additionally, weed problems can be effectively managed using
integrated weed management, which uses suitable herbicides supplemented with
manual or mechanical weeding,” Kumar further explained. “Mechanical weeding, through
power, cono, or the Mandwa weeder, can be facilitated by adjusting row-to-row
spacing of 25–30 cm.”
Pasupalak emphasized the importance of full mechanization, from sowing to harvesting, for timely operations and lower production, energy, and labor costs. He also stressed the value of crop diversification. “Crop diversification with mungbean, black gram, mustard, maize, groundnut, vegetables, and sunflower in place of rice, particularly during the rice fallow period, along with mechanization, is needed to improve farm productivity, profitability, sustainability and nutritional security.”
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The field day showcased the performance of flood-tolerant BINA
Dhan 11 and the drought-tolerant DRR 42 rice varieties using mechanical transplanting compared with Lalat, a popular traditional variety. Also exhibited and demonstrated were improved
farm practices using technologies such as the zero-till seed-cum-fertilizer
drill, paddy transplanter, laser-guided land leveler, paddy power weeder, seed
cum-fertilizer spreader, and the grain moisture meter.
Dr. Ashok Kumar, hub coordinator for the Cereal Systems Initiative for SouthAsia (CSISA), reported that, besides being flood-tolerant
and highly lodging-resistant, BINA Dhan 11 yields from 5 to nearly 7 tons per
hectare at 14% moisture content. It outperformed Lalat's yield by 0.8 to
1.4 tons per hectare across Puri, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts. The grain
quality of BINA Dhan 11 is also good. Drought-tolerant DRR 42 yielded an
average of 5.0–5.5 tons per hectare during the 2016 dry season. Both varieties
mature in 120–125 days.
“For farmers in the region, the
most impressive traits of the two stress-tolerant varieties are their comparatively high yield, stress tolerance, lodging resistance, and suitability for planting even during the wet season,” said Dr. Narayan Banik, a
scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and CSISA.
Prof. Surendranath Pasupalak, vice-chancellor at the Orissa
University of Agriculture and Technology, visiting the
BINA Dhan 11 rice fields and interacting with farmers and scientists, was satisfied with the farmers’ feedback regarding
the lodging resistance of BINA Dhan 11. However, he expressed concern about the higher
water requirement and weed problems that can arise under nonpuddled conditions.
Kumar clarified that both mechanical transplanted rice (MTR) and
direct seeded rice (DSR) under nonpuddled situation are planted only during the
wet season. “Additionally, weed problems can be effectively managed using
integrated weed management, which uses suitable herbicides supplemented with
manual or mechanical weeding,” Kumar further explained. “Mechanical weeding, through
power, cono, or the Mandwa weeder, can be facilitated by adjusting row-to-row
spacing of 25–30 cm.”
Pasupalak also noted the presence of bacterial leaf blight
and sheath blight. The farmers reported that the symptoms of these diseases were seen in most of
the rice fields including those planted with Lalat indicating that all the varieties have the same level of resistance.
Pasupalak emphasized the importance of full mechanization, from sowing to harvesting, for timely operations and lower production, energy, and labor costs. He also stressed the value of crop diversification. “Crop diversification with mungbean, black gram, mustard, maize, groundnut, vegetables, and sunflower in place of rice, particularly during the rice fallow period, along with mechanization, is needed to improve farm productivity, profitability, sustainability and nutritional security.”
Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).
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