System of rice intensification technique to kickstart with fields in Quepem

MARGAO: The agriculture department has set a target of bringing 10ha of land under the SRI (system of rice intensification) technique of paddy cultivation in Quepem taluka during the current kharif season and the following rabi season. Agriculture officials are hopeful of the success of the new paddy cultivation technology in Quepem as the natural soil conditions of the hinterland areas are believed to be conducive for a rich yield.
"We have already conducted field-level demonstrations of SRI technology in Gokuldem village in Barcem panchayat area where we aim at covering an area of one hectare. Based on the results that we get here, we hope to convince farmers from the rest of the Quepem taluka to go in for this technology. As most of the paddy cultivation here is rain-fed and the soil topography in this village provides ideal conditions for utilizing this technique, we are confident that the farmers will soon adopt this technique," zonal agriculture officer (ZAO), Quepem, Shivram Gaonkar, told TOI.
Explaining the basic management practices of SRI, Gaonkar said, "Rice plant seedlings should be transplanted very young (usually just 8-12 days old) with just two small leaves, carefully and quickly to inflict minimum trauma to the roots. Transplantation should be done singly, with only one per hill instead of three-four together, to avoid root competition. Seedlings should be widely spaced to encourage greater root and canopy growth and transplanted in a square grid pattern."
Agriculture officers said that the quality and health of the soil was the key to better production under SRI. Only a minimum amount of water is applied during the vegetative growth period, and thereafter only a thin layer of water is maintained on the field during flowering and grain-filling. Alternatively, to save labour and time, some farmers flood and drain (dry) their fields in three-five day cycles with good results.
"Such conditions are naturally available in the morod type of soil topography in Quepem taluka. The required seed rate is just 2kg for one acre of of paddy field. It is recommended to give seed treatment to the paddy seeds to kill various seed-borne diseases and to carry out weed management wisely. Research studies have shown a 50% increase in yield of the paddy crop under the SRI method," Vaibhavi Dessai, assistant agriculture officer, Quepem, said.
Assistant agriculture officer Shariff Furtado added, "Agricultural success depends thoroughly upon favourable climatic conditions. Agriculture is threatened not just by global warming but also by increased variability in temperature and rainfall, that are devastating to production. The recent trends of long dry spells in rainy season have forced people to be wary of this fluctuating weather mechanism, especially in Goa. Making crops more climate-proof is becoming an urgent need. Under such circumstances, the SRI as an innovation comes at an opportune time as we fine tune our strategy to face greater challenges in agriculture."