Paddy Cultivation

Introduction

Rice is the staple food of more than 60% of

the worlds population.
It is the staple food of most of the people of
South-Eastern Asia.
About 90% of all rice grown in the world is
produced and consumed in the Asian region.

Nutritional values

Nutritional value per 100 g 3

Energy :
1,527 kJ (365 kcal)
Sugars :
0.12 g
Protein :
7.12 g
Dietary fiber :
1.3 g
Thiamine
: 0.0701 mg
Riboflavin
: 0.0149 mg (1%)
Zinc
:
1.09 mg
Calcium :
28 mg
Iron
:
0.80 mg
Magnesium :
25 mg
Surce: USDA Nutrient database

Origin and History

Rice cultivation probably dates back to the

antiquity and has probably been the staple
food and the first cultivated crop in Asia.

Vavilov (1926) suggested that India and

Burma should be regarded as the centre of
origin of cultivated rice.

Climatic requirements

Rice crop needs a hot and humid climate the

average temperature required throught the life
period of the crop ranges from 21-37oC.
At the time of tillering the crop requires a
higher temperature than for growth.
Temperature requirement for blooming is in
the range of 26.5-29.5oC.
At the time of ripening the temperature should
be between 22-250c.

Soil

Soil having good water retentions capacity

with good amount of clay and organic
matter are ideal for rice cultivation.

Clay or clay loams are most suited for rice

cultivation it grows well in soils having a
pH between 5.5-6.5.

Cropping System
(A) Irrigated Areas
1. Rice-Wheat
2. Rice-Potato-Urd
3. Rice-Toria-Wheat
4. Rice-Wheat-Moong
(B) Un-irrigated Area
1. Rice-Chickpea
2. Rice-Lentil
3. Rice-Field Pea

Cultivation

The following are the principal systems of rice

cultivation;1. Dry or semi-dry upland cultivation
(a) Broadcasting the seed
(b) Sowing the seed behind the plough or drill
2. Wet or lowland cultivation
(a) Transplanting in puddle soils
(b) Broadcasting sprouted seeds in puddle soils

Seed rate

Broadcasting-

Use about 100 kg seed/ha.

Sowing seed behind the plough or drilling.

Use about 60kg seed/ha. The row to row

distance should be 20cm.

Fertilizer Application

Fertilizer Application
Nitrogen 60 kg/ha.
Phosphorus- 30kg/ha.
Potash 30 kg/ha.

Total quantity of phosphorus and potash and 25% of the

total nitrogen should be applied in the soil at the time of
land preparation.
After 35-40 days of sowing or at tillering stage, top dress
50 % of the total nitrogen.
The remaining 25% nitrogen should be top dressed at
panicle initiation stage.

Application of
Seaweed Extract Liquid

Importance of Soaking of Seed: Seeds

soaked in Seaweed Extract Liquid before
placing in the nursery beds gives better and
healthy germination. Care should be taken
for prevention of excessive wetting and
rotting. The soaking time may vary from
1hr -10hr. Allow the seeds to dry before
sowing. After the seed soaking, the balance
water to be used in the same field.

Application of
Seaweed Extract Liquid
Importance

of seedling treatment of
root dipping: The seedlings are wetted
and or roots dipped in Seaweed Extract
Liquid for about one hour before
transplanting shock and thereby better
post transplanting survival rate.

Application of
Seaweed Extract Liquid

Importance of different stages of spray:

1st spray should begiven when plants have
attained the teo leaf or rosette stage. This
spray is more important than other sprays.
The gap between two sprays to be
maintained at 15-20 days. For short duration
crops minimum 2 sprays required. And long
duration crops need more sprays. After
flowering stage, spray is not required.

Application of
Seaweed Extract Liquid

Seed Treatment: 10 ml/ 4 lit. of water,

soak the seeds minimum 4 Hrs.

Seedling Treatment: 10 ml / 4 lit. of water,

soak the seedlings atleast 4 Hrs.

Spray: (250 ml /100 lit of water) After 15

days of transplanting 1st spray then
minimum 2 sprays in 20 days gap.

Wet or lowland cultivation

This system of rice culture is practiced where there is an

assured and adequate supply of water.
Transplanting Method
Raising Seedling in Nursery- For transplanting one
hectare area about 500 square meter area is sufficient for
nursery raising.
In case of late sowing area of nursery should be increased to
750-1000square meter.
In case of bold grain varieties, about 40-45 kg seed would
be required to raise seedling enough for one hectare,
whereas for fine grain varieties 30-35 kg seed is enough.

Methods of Raising
Seedlings

Wet Bed Method - Wet nurseries are preferred

under irrigated condition.
Dry Bed Method This method is practised in
areas where water is not sufficient to grow
seedlings in wet nurseries.
Dapog Method The main merit of this method
is that less area is needed to raise seedlings 2530 square metres of area is enough to raise
seedling sufficient for planting one hectare.

Transplanting

Transplanting of healthy
seedlings may be done at
the 4-5 leaf stage or when
they are about 15-20 cm high.
Transplant 2-3 seedlings per hill at 20X10 cm
distance under normal conditions.
Broadcasting Sprouted Seeds In Puddle Soils:This method is adopted in areas where there is
shortage of laboures or otherwise labour is very
expensive for transplanting. About 100 Kg. seed is
required for one hectare.

Fertilizer Application

Spray: (250 ml /100 lit of water)

After 15 days of transplanting 1st spray
then minimum 2 sprays in 20 days gap.

Water Management

The water requirement is high during the

initial seedling period covering about 10
days.
Tillering to flowering is the most critical
stage when rice crop should not be
subjected to any moisture stress.
Ensure enough water from panicle initiation
stage to flowering.

Weed Control
The most commonly found weeds in transplanted rice are
given below:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Echinochloa colonum
Echinochloa crusgalli
Cyperus iria
Eclipta alba
Setaria glauca

Weeds should be removed once at 20 days after

transplanting ( before first top dressing) and second time
at 50-60 days after transplanting (before second top
dressing ).
Grow resistant variety and
Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Diseases

Blast

Casual organism:- Pyricularia oryzae

Symptoms:- Boat or eye- shaped spots with grey
or dark brown margin appear on the leaf and leaf
sheath.
Controls:Treat the seed at the rate of 10kg seed with 5gm
Emisan.
Grow resistant variety and
Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Bacterial Leaf Blight

Casual organism:Xanthomonas oryzae

Symptoms:- The Kresek
occurs in early stage of plant growth in which the plant withers
and dries up. In the later stage , the blighting starts from the
tip of the leaves from one or both the margins or in the centre
and proceeds downwards.
Controls: Use certified seed from a reliable source or treat the seed 1gm
Streptocyclin.

Grow resistant variety and

Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Sheath Blight

Casual organism: - Corticium sasakii

Symptoms: - The symptoms of diseases appear on
leaf and leaf sheath as 2-3 cm long greenish grey
lesions, turning to straw colour and surrounded by
bluish grey narrow bands.
Control
Dont use heavy dose of nitrogen.
Spray the crop with 1kg Carbendazim per hectare in
1000 litres of water.
Grow resistant variety and
Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Insect pest and management

Stem Borer: - Damage caused by

the larva of this insect results in

Dead heart and White head.
Dead heart is created in early
life of the plant before flowering and White head
occurs at flowering resulting in drying of the entire
panicle.
Controls: -

Apply 3% carbofuran granules at the rate

of 30-33kg/ha.
Grow resistant variety and
Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Leaf Roller
Caterpillars of this pest cause
damage by folding the leaf
blades into tubular structure
and feeding on the green leaf
tissues with in this structures.
Control:
Apply Parathion 2% dust at the rate of 20kg/ha.
Other insect-pest is Gundhi Bug, Rice Hispa, Brown
Plant Hopper etc
Grow resistant variety and
Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Harvesting and threshing

The right stage for harvesting is when about

80% panicles have about
80% ripened spikelets.
The grain will contain
about 20% moisture.
The most common method of threshing are
trampling by bullocks, rubbing with bare
human feed ( in hills) or lifting
the bundles and striking them
on the raised wooden platform.

Yield
A

well manage crop of mid-late duration

(135-150 days) paddy, yields about 60-70
quintals paddy per hectare.
Short duration varieties yield about 45-55
quintals of paddy per hectare.
Hybrid rice yields, about 60-70 quintals
of paddy per hectare
Apply Seaweed Extract Liquid for
increasing the yield by 30% instead of
Fertilizers.

Major problems in rice cultivation

About 78% of the farmers are small and marginal in

the country and they are poor in resource.
The problems of flash floods, water logging/
submergence due to poor drainage are very common
in East India.
Continuous use of traditional varieties due to the
non-availability of seeds and farmers lack of
awareness about high yielding varieties.
Low soil fertility due to soil erosion resulting in loss
of plant nutrients and moisture.

Low and imbalanced use of fertilizers, low use

efficiency of applied fertilizers particularly in the
North-Eastern and Eastern States.
The Eastern region experiences high rainfall and
severe flood almost every year which lead to heavy
loss.
Heavy infestation of weeds and insects/pests.
Delay in monsoon onset often results in delayed and
prolong transplanting and sub-optimum plant
population (Mostly in rainfed lowlands).
In the years of scanty or adverse distribution of
rainfall, the crop fails owing to drought etc

Strategies may be adopted to

increase the productivity of Rice
Emphasis may be given on a cropping
system approach rather than a single crop
development approach..
Propagation of location specific crop
production technologies in different agroclimatic zones.
Improving

soil fertility

Grow resistant variety

Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Strategies may be adopted to

increase the productivity of Rice

Replacement of low potential/pest susceptible old

varieties by new high yielding varieties with promising
yield potential.
To encourage cultivation of hybrid rice through
demonstrations and making seed available to the
farmers.
Motivating the farmers to provide life saving irrigation
to the crop wherever possible during long dry spells.

Grow resistant variety and

Use Seaweed Extract Liquid

Thanking You
G. Rajaretnam
Managing Partner
Kunnam Granite Works
raja@kunnam.com
Mobile: 91-9940061620