CONTEXT
Experts in Punjab has said that the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Technique is beneficial for the soil, environment, and farmers at par with the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technique.
About System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
- System of Rice Intensification (SRI) was first developed in Madagascar in the 1980s and since then several countries in the world have been practising it, including India.
- It promises to save 15 to 20% ground water, improve rice productivity, which is almost at a stagnant point now.
- It gives equal or more produces than conventional rice cultivation, with less water, less seed, and fewer chemicals.
- The net effect is a substantial reduction in the investments in external inputs.
How does it take place in the field and in which soil?
- First, the field is prepared by ploughing.
- It should be laser levelled before transplanting for proper water management and efficiency for a good crop stand.
- Then irrigation is applied in the field which is not a flooding of field like traditional methods but less than that of a well irrigated field.
- Then 10-12 days old nursery (young paddy plants) along with soil particles around the root with minimum disturbance to the roots are transplanted in lines.
- They are marked at a distance of 10 inches from each other with the help of a rope meter.
Does the SRI method require continuous flooding after transplantation of nursery?
- SRI doesn’t require continuous flooding, it needs intermittent irrigation.
- Indeed the plants’ roots should not be starved for oxygen through flooding.
- Irrigation is given to maintain soil moisture near saturation initially, and water is added to the field when the surface soil develops hairline cracks.
Limitations
If unchecked, greater weed growth will cause substantial loss of yield.
It can be sustainable if organic inputs in the soil structure are maintained.
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