Drought - tolerant rice varieties

 Drought - tolerant rice varieties

IX. Harvesting & storage 

 VIII. Pest & disease management

Effective pest & disease management is required as it helps in producing better quality grains and better yields. Major Pests of Rice in Andhra Pradesh are

1. Stemborer

2. Gallmidge

3. Leaf folder

4. Hispa

5. Leaf mite

6. BPH/WBPH

7. Panicle mite

 Major Diseases of Rice in Andhra Pradesh are;

1. Sheath blight

2. Blast

3. BLB

4. Stem rot

5. Red stripe

6. Sheath rot

7. False smut
 

Water management 

• A thin film of water (2-3 cm) should be maintained at the time of weedicide application and should not be drained up to one week. Maintain water level at 5 cm depth during first seven days after planting and thereafter up to completion of tillering at 2 cm depth. 
• Maintain water level at 5 cm depth from panicle initiation to grain maturity. Drain the water before fer tilizer application. Mid season drying discourages unproductive tillers. Drain the field one week before harvest.Drain the field and aerate whenever Sulphide injury occurs. Ensure drainage in deltaic alluvial soils (East and West Godavari and Nellore districts).

Land preparation typically involves ploughing, harrowing, and levelling the field to make it suitable  for crop establishment. Plough the field upto 12-15 cm deep so that the weeds and the stubbles get incorporated in the soil and get decomposed. •  Ploughing should be done 3-4 weeks prior to sowing. Draft animals, such as oxen, 2-wheel tractors or 4-wheel tractors can all be used ploughing the land effectively. •  After ploughing, harrowing should be done twice, with one week gap between the two. First harrowing should be done after 1 week of ploughing. The second harrowing should be done across the first harrowing. •  The land should be submerged in 2-5 cm of standing water so that pudding is done and decomposition of organic matter occurs soon. Bunds should be prepared and cleaned thoroughly as the harbour pests and diseases. •  Bunds should be compacted to prevent seepage, and properly maintained at 15 cm high x 20 cm wide to prevent rat burrowing.  The initial soil tillage can also be performed with a rotavator instead of a plough.

Resistant Variety PESTS/DISEASES/ABIOTIC FACTORS VARIETIES RECOMMENDED Resistant for Diseases For blast Rasi, Samba Mahsuri, NLR 9672, NLR 9674, MTU 7014, NLR 13969, Tikkanna, Pinakini, NLR 28600, IR 20 For leaf blight Improved Samba Mahsuri, IR 36, IR 20 For tungro virus Vikrarmarya, IR 20 Resistant for Pests For Brown Plant Hopper Vajram, Pratibha, Sonasali, Krishnaveni, Chaitanya & Priya For gall midge IR 36, Phalguna, Surekha, Dhanyalakshm, MTU 2400, Divya, Pothana For stem borer Sasyasree Resistant to Abiotic factors Drought tolerant Rasi, MTU 17, Cold tolerant Satya, tella hamsa Saline tolerant Vikas High yielding varieties of Rice: Abhaya, Akshaya, Amara, APHR 1, APHR 2, Apurva, Badava Mahsuri, Bapatla Sannalu, Bhadrakali, Bharani, Bhavapuri Sannalu, Chaitanya, Chandan, Cottondora Sannalu, Deepti, Dhanya Lakshmi, Divya, DRRH 1, Early Samba, Erra Mallelu, Gautami, Godavari, Gutti Akkullu, Hamsa, Hari, Indra, Indur Samba, Jagtial Mahsuri, Jagtial Samba, Jagtial Sannalu, Kakatiya, Karimnagar Samba, Kavya, Kesava, Kotha Bayyahunda, Kothamolagolukulu 74, Krishna Hamsa, Krishnaveni, Lakshmi, Mahendra, Mahsuri Manair Sona, Maruteru Sannalu, Motigold, MTU 9993, Nagarjuna, Nagavali, Nandi, Nandyal Sannalu, Nellore Mahsuri, Orugallu Pardhiva, Penna, Phalguna, Pinakini, Polasa prabha-Mahsuri, Pothana, Prabhat, Prakash, Prasanna, Pratibha, Pushkala, Raja Vadlu, Rajendra, Ramappa, Ravi, Rudrama, Sagar Samba, Saleem, Samba Mahsuri, Satya, Seshu, Shanthi, Shiva, Shravani, Simhapuri, Somasila, Sonal, Sona Mahsuri, Sonasali, Sowbhagya,Sree Kurma,Srikakulam Sannalu, Srinivas, Sriranga, Srisatya, Sugandha Samba, Sumati, Surekha, Surya, Swarna, Swarnamukhi, Swathi, Taramati, Tella Hamsa Tholakari, Tikkana, Vajram, Vamsadhara, Vamshi, Varalu, Vasistha, Vasundhara, Vedagiri, Vibhava, Vijaya Mahsuri, Vijetha, Vikramarya, Warangal. Seed Treatment a. Wet method of Seed treatment Fungicide Concentration Dithane M 45 2.5 g/lt of water Captaf 2.5 g/lt of water. b. Dry method of seed treatment Fungicide Concentration Dithane M 45 2.5 g/kg of seed Captaf 2.5 g/kg of seed. Breaking dormancy For varieties having seed dormancy, treat the seed with 6.3 ml of concentrated Nitric acid dissolved in 1 lit of water. For strong dormant seeds, it is adviced to use 10ml of concentrated Nitric acid per 1ml of water and soak for 24 hr and then allow it for sprouting. Seed Treatment with Azospirillum • Three packets (600 g/ha) of Azospirillum and 3 packets (600 g/ha) of Phosphobacteria or 6 packets (1200 g/ha) of Azophos. • In bio-inoculants mixed with sufficient water wherein the seeds are soaked overnight before sowing in the nursery bed. Seed Treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens 1. Treat the seeds with talc based formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g/kg of seed and soak in 1 lit of water overnight. 2. Decant the excess water and allow the seeds to sprout for 24 hrs and then sow. Seed rate 1. Well germinated seeds are to be sown @ 650 g to 1 kg per bed depending on grain size. 2. Requirement of seed for transplanting one hectare of main field is 40 to 45 kg. 50 to 75 kg/ha. for broadcasted crop. 40 to 50 kg/ha. for drilling behind the gorru

  Symptom

•Poor stand and establishment, lack of growth and tillering.

• Unhealthy and sickly appearance of crop at 3-4 weeks after transplantion even after receipt of adequate quantities of N,P and K fer tilizers

• Basal mid rib bleaching of 3rd / 4th leaf from top at about 2-4 weeks after transplantion.

• Dark brown rusty spots on the upper par t near the tips of older and mature leaves.

Correction

•  Application of  zinc  sulphate  @   20 kg/ac at  puddling is  suggested  as  a prophylactic measure in Zinc deficient endemic soils

•  Deficiency in the standing crop can be corrected by spraying zinc sulphate @

0.2% (2  g/L of water). The spraying should be repeated at 5 days interval depending on the severity of the problem

•  Zinc sulphate solution should not  be mixed with any insecticide / fungicide

Nursery management • Select well filled high density seed of variety suitable to the location/season. Nursery should be prepared nearer to the main field so as to minimize the shock during transplanting. Utmost care should be taken while preparing the nursery as it is the place where rice seedlings grow and establish. • Plough the soil thoroughly 3 to 4 times and level it perfectly. Make channels for irrigation water and drainage. Incorporate one tonne compost/FYM per 1000 m2 bed during last ploughing/puddling. • In locations of low temperature regimes (15-25oC) apply double the dose of phosphorus in two or three dressings • Protect against bird damage of seed by netting or taking colour ribbons Tips for Growing Nursery in AP/ Telangana • Plough the soil thoroughly 3 to 4 times and level it perfectly. Make channels for irrigation water and drainage. • For 5 cents of nursery bed apply 2kg. Nitrogen(1kg at the time of broadcasting the seed and another after 12 to 14 days) 1kg P O and 1kg Potash. In cold prone 2 5 areas apply double dose • Broadcast the sprouted seed 5kg /cent of soil. • Allow it to dry for some time and give slight irrigation at first leaf stage. • If zinc deficiency is noticed spray 2g ZnSO4 dissolved in 1 liter of water. In case of dry nursery if Iron deficiency is noticed spray 2% Ferrous sulphate solution. • Apply Carbofuran 3G granules 10 days after broadcasting the seed per cent of nursery @160g or Monocrotophos 1.6ml or Cloripyriphos 2.0 ml per liter of wate. Apply Carbofuran 3g granules @160g per cent of nursery week days before uprooting the nursery. • For 5 cents of nursery bed apply 2kg. Nitrogen (1 kg at the time of broadcasting the seed and another after 12 to 14 days) 1kg P2O5 and 1kg Potash. In cold prone areas apply double dose. • Broadcast the sprouted seed 5kg /cent of soil. Seeds should be free from weed seeds • Allow it to dry for some time and give slight irrigation at first leaf stage. • Weeding should be done once in 15-20 days as it helps seedlings grow effectively without competition for nutrients, water etc. • If zinc deficiency is noticed spray 2g ZnSO4 dissolved in 1 liter of water. In case of dry nursery if Iron deficiency is noticed spray 2% ferrous sulphate solution. • Apply Carbofuran 3G granules 10 days after broadcasting the seed per cent of nursery @160g or Monocrotophos 1.6ml or Cloripyriphos 2.0 ml per liter of wate. Apply Carbofuran 3g granules @160g per cent of nursery week days before uprooting the nursery. Types of Nurseries 1. Wet-Bed Nursery 2. Dry-Bed Nursery 3. Dapog or Mat nursery 4. Modified Mat Nursery

Sufficient amount of nutrients should be supplied to the crop right from transplanting to harvesting as it helps in better crop growth finally giving better yields. Ensure soil fer tility tests are done to your field and apply the nutrients accordingly recommended by the soil health report .
• 3-4 tons of FYM should be applied to the field at the time of ploughing
• Both oversupply and under supply of nutrients to the crop is a threat.
• Oversupply of nutrients results to increased susceptibility of the crop to pests, lodging, etc. 

Nursery

• With excellent cultural practices, the spacing may be slightly wider, say 20x15 cms but under sub-normal conditions, the spacing should be slightly narrower, say 15x10 cms.
• Under good management and adequate nitrogen levels, the optimum spacing for varieties should be around 20x10 cms both for kharif and rabi crops.

Adopt proper spacing & ensure adequate plant population

• At 2-5 leaf stage (20-25 days age) , uproot the nursery, trim the tips of seedlings and transplant.
• Crop establishment is a very important part and hence utmost care is needed to ensure good crop establishment.
• Synchronous planting should be followed which enables efficient use of irrigation, and reduces
• incidence of pests.
• Seedlings should be uproooted from the nursery without damaging the roots and with minimal
• shock.
• Make sure that the seedlings are not mixed with weed seedlings.
• Line transplanting should be followed as it helps in better crop growth and intercultural operations.
• Generally recommended spacing is 15x10 or 20x10 cm.
• Proper spacing should be followed between two seedlings to ensure that competition for nutrients
• will not be there
• In case of Direct Seeding, sowing should be done after proper puddling and levelling the land.
• Direct sowing is practiced in areas with lower rainfall or areas with water and labor scarcity.

• Nursery should be prepared nearer to the mainfield so as to minimize the shock during transplanting.
• Utmost care should be taken while preparing the nursery as it is the place where rice seedlings grow and establish themselves.
• Prepare the type of nursery based on your resources such as water, type of soil etc eg : Wet bed method is practiced in areas of water abundance and Dry bed method is practiced in areas of less water and where the soil is loamy or clayey.
• Appropriate seed rate (15-20 kg/ha) should be used based on the variety/ hybrid selected. Farmers use very high seed rate, which is not required and wasteful.
• For good preparation of your nursery, Plough the soil thoroughly 3 to 4 times and level it perfectly. Make channels for irrigation water and drainage.
• Incorporate one tonne compost/FYM per 1000 m2 bed during last ploughing/puddling.
• Broadcast the sprouted seed 5kg /100 sq.mt of soil. Make sure the seeds are free from weed seeds. For 200 sq.mt of nursery bed apply 2kg. Nitrogen (1kg at the time of broadcasting the seed and another after 12 to 14 days) 1kg P2O5 and 1kg Potash. In cold prone areas apply double dose.
• Allow it to dry for some time and give slight irrigation at first leaf stage.
• Weeding should be done once in 15-20 days as it helps seedlings grow effectively without competition for nutrients, water etc.
• If zinc deficiency is noticed spray 2 g ZnSO4 dissolved in 1 liter of water. In case of dry nursery if Iron deficiency is noticed spray 20 g / 1 lt. (2%) ferrous sulphate solution.
• Protect your Nursery against bird damage of seed by netting or taking colour ribbons.
• Apply Carbofuran 3 G granules 10 days after broadcasting the seed per cent of nursery @160g or Monocrotophos 1.6ml or Chloropyriphos @ 2.0 ml per liter of water. Apply Carbofuran 3 G granules @ 160 g per 40 sq.mt of nursery week days before uprooting the nursery.
• Seedlings should be uprooted with soil and transplanted immediately so as to minimse the shock to the seedlings. See to it that the time gap between uprooting the seedlings and transplanting is less.

The seed rate naturally influences the growth of the seedlings. Thin sowing gives strong and tillered seedlings, whereas thick sowing results in thin and tall seedlings without tillers.

• Select good quality & high density seed of a variety/ hybrid suitable to the location/season.
• Varieties should be selected based on the environment and the season in which they are to be grown.
• The most suitable variety is the one that best meets the farmer and the consumer’s needs. It may not always give the highest yield and the choice will be influenced by availability of water, either from rain or irrigation, soil type, field elevation and whether the rice will be sold or consumed at home.
• Select varieties resistant to pests and diseases, if the area is prone to endemic diseases/ pests. In case, there are problem soils such as acidic or salinity, varieties which are suitable for specific soils (say saline tolerant varieties) should be selected.
• Varieties which are already grown in the area and having good yield records should be selected. In case new varieties/ hybrids are to be grown, enquire about their performance in FLDs or on-farm trials.
• We should go for new varieties initially on trial basis, and if it works out well it can be cultivated in the whole area.

Good quality seed reduces the required seed rate, produces strong healthy seedlings which results in a more uniform crop and higher yields.

• clean - no stones or soil, weed seed,
• pure - only seeds from one variety,
• healthy - full big grains, same color, no cracks or spots

• Select good quality seeds which are free from seed borne pests, diseases and weeds.
• Select seeds which are bold, uniform in size and filled completely.
• Seeds should be soaked in salt water and remove immature and chaffy seeds. Select only bold seeds and wash thoroughly with clean water for 2 - 3 times and dry under shade.
• If seeds are farmer grown it should undergo germination test before using for sowing.
• Select seeds which have good germination rate (> 85%).
• Get seeds from reliable sources like government agencies or certified private companies, Agricultural universities, KVK’s,Agricultural research stations etc.,
• Before seeds are sown they should be treated with either
• fungicides like Carbondazim, Dithane M 45 @ 2.5 g/kg of seed (or) Cartap @ 2.5 g/kg of seed.
• They can also be treated with bio control agents like Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 gm per kg of seed etc. 

• Many small soil clods to give good seed ‘soil contact’
• No weeds
• Harder layer at 10 cm to stop water percolation
• Level and smooth surface after puddling
• Well-constructed bunds

• Land preparation is done by ploughing, harrowing, and levelling the field to make it suitable for crop establishment.
• Ploughing should be done 3-4 weeks prior to sowing.
• Plough your field upto 12-15 cms deep and make sure the weeds and the stubbles get incorporated in the soil and get decomposed. This is necessary to avoid the self sown seeds to grow and become admixtures.
• Draft animals, such as oxen, 2-wheel tractors or 4-wheel tractors or rotavator can all be used for ploughing the land effectively.
• Implements used for ploughing are mouldboard plough, disc plough, sub- soiler etc.
• After ploughing, harrowing the field should be done twice, with one week gap between the two. First harrowing should be done after 1 week of ploughing. The second harrowing should be done across the first harrowing.
• Implements used for harrowing are Spike tooth harrow, Chain harrow, Disc harrow, Inter-cultivating harrow.
• Generally rice fields are first flooded with water before tillage. This tillage of flooded soil is referred to as puddling. Puddling is very efficient in clay soils that form deep cracks penetrating the plough pan at about 15 to 20 cm soil depth during the period of soil drying before land preparation.
• Land should be levelled after ploughing and harrowing is done so as to avoid undulating topography which leads to uneven distribution of water and others. Levelling with laser leveler helps in saving water and ensure uniform crop growth.
• The land should be submerged in 2-5 cms of standing water so that pudding is done and decomposition of organic matter occurs soon.
• Bunds should be prepared and cleaned thoroughly to check weed growth as they harbour pests and diseases.
• Bunds should be compacted to prevent seepage, and properly maintained at 15 cm height x 20 cm width to prevent rat burrowing.
• Once you complete all these activities, you can now go for transplanting / direct seeding.
• A fallow period of at least a month from harvest to establishment of the next crop has to be there. This can break the pest cycle and facilitate the success of crop management practices.