Skip to content

DSR (direct-seeded rice) in Punjab Photo: HONG SON · Pexels License · source ↗

DSR (direct-seeded rice) in Punjab

Direct-seeded rice (DSR) in Punjab is the dry sowing of paddy seed with a tractor-drawn seed-cum-fertiliser drill, eliminating the conventional nursery, puddling and manual transplanting that have dominated Punjab paddy for five decades. PAU Ludhiana released the package of practices in 2010 and the Punjab Department of Agriculture began incentivising the system in 2022 with a Rs 1,500 per acre subsidy in response to the collapsing groundwater table.

Principle

Conventional Punjab puddled-transplanted rice consumes roughly 4,000-5,000 litres of water per kilogram of grain. DSR removes the puddling, nursery and standing-water phases and replaces them with two to three irrigations spaced 5-10 days apart after first emergence. Field water requirement falls 15-25%, irrigation hours by a third and labour requirement by 60% relative to transplanting.

Procedure

PAU recommends sowing between 1 and 15 June at a seed rate of 8-10 kg/acre treated with imazethapyr-tolerant Lucky Seeder calibration. A PAU 'Lucky' seed drill or generic seed-cum-fertiliser drill is used with row spacing of 20 cm. Pre-emergence pendimethalin 30% EC at 1.0 L/acre is sprayed within 0-2 days of sowing; post-emergence bispyribac-sodium 10% SC at 100 mL/acre is applied at 20-25 DAS. First irrigation is given 21 days after sowing; subsequent irrigations every 5-7 days based on soil texture and tensiometer readings. Sprouted-DSR (wet variant) follows similar logic with shorter wait to emergence.

Where it applies

DSR is suited to medium-heavy loamy and clay-loam soils on a level field with assured irrigation; it should not be used on sandy soils where percolation is excessive. Recommended cultivars include short and medium-duration types - PR 126, PR 131 and basmati varieties Pusa Basmati 1509 - that match the early-window sowing. Punjab DSR area reached over 0.25 million ha in 2022 and 0.16 million ha in 2023 after weather-driven setbacks.

Limitations

Stand uniformity is sensitive to soil moisture and crust formation after heavy rain. Weed pressure - especially weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea), Echinochloa spp. and Leptochloa chinensis - is the principal agronomic challenge. Iron and zinc deficiency surface more often than in puddled rice. Yields equal transplanted rice when management is sound but drop 5-15% under heavy weed pressure or poorly timed first irrigation, and rat damage in unflooded crop has emerged as a new issue.

See also Direct Seeded Rice Broadcast, Dry Direct Seeded Rice, Pusa Basmati 1509, Rice Alternate Wetting Drying Awd, Rice Stubble Burning Punjab Haryana.

Sources

  1. Package of Practices for Kharif Crops. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
  2. DSR Subsidy Scheme. Punjab Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.