Rice is the most important food crop of India covering about one-fourth of the total cropped area and providing food to about half of the Indian population. Rice farming is done in approximately 0.12 million acre lands which includes irrigated and rainfed rice areas. It gives an average productivity of 0.8tonnes/acre of rice. 

It can be grown on a variety of soils with low permeability and pH varying from 5.0 to 9.5. Sandy loam to loamy sand to silty loam to clay loams, silty to clayey loam soils with low permeability, free of waterlogging and sodicity are considered best for paddy cultivation.

More yield giving dwarf varieties:

IR 8: The variety is developed in IRRI, Philippines. The variety is released in India for agriculture purpose in 1966. It has thick grains. The variety matures in 140-145 days and it gives an average yield of 30-33qtl/acre.

Jaya: Released in Hyderabad in 1968. It has thick grains. The variety matures in 135 days. The variety is resistant to blast. It gives an average yield of 29-33qtl/acre.

Ratna: Released by CRRI in 1970. It has long grains which are thin. It gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre. The variety is suitable for west UP, Punjab and Haryana.

IR 24: The variety is developed in IRRI, Philippines. The variety matures in 125 days. The variety gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 4: Released by Pantnagar University in 1983. It has thin grains. The variety matures in 130 days. It gives an average yield of 22-25qtl/acre. The variety is moderately resistant to bacterial blight. 

Basmati-370: The variety matures in 150-155 days. It gives an average yield of 9-10qtl/acre.

Pusa Basmati 1: It is a medium height plant and the variety matures in 135-140 days. The variety is released by ICAR, New Delhi. It gives an average yield of 20-22qtl/acre.

Haryana Basmati 1: Variety is released by Haryana Agricultural University. The variety matures in 140 days and it gives an average yield of 16-18qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 10: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 125 days and it gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre. The variety is resistant to blast and moderately tolerant to blight.

Pant Dhan 12: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 120-125 days and it gives an average yield of 20-22qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 16: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 105-120 days and it gives an average yield of 14-15qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 18: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 128-130 days and it gives an average yield of 25qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 19: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 128-130 days and it gives an average yield of 25-27qtl/acre.

HKR 126: It is a dwarf variety having 110cm length and the variety matures in 140 days. It gives an average yield of 25qtl/acre.

Type 3: It has long and thin grain. The variety matures in 135 days. It is resistant to blight disease and it gives an average yield of 14.5qtl/acre.

Narendra 359: Released by Acharya Narendra Dev Agriculture University. The variety matures in 130-135 days. It gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre.

Pusa 44: Released by IARI, New Delhi. It has long cylinder shaped grains. The variety gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre. The variety matures in 140-145 days.

Improved varieties for hilly areas:

VL Dhan 16: The variety is grown above 1700m height in hilly areas. The variety matures in 130 days.

VL Dhan 81: The variety is suitable for growing above at the height of 1300m. It gives an average yield of 16-18qtl/acre.
 
Vivek Dhan 62: It has small and thick grain. The variety attains the height of 100-105cm. The variety matures in 125-130 days. The variety is resistant to leaf and neck blast.  The variety gives an average yield of 18-20qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 6: The variety is released by Pantnagar University. The variety matures in 115-120 days and it gives an average yield of 16-18qtl/acre.

Pant Dhan 11: The variety matures in 115-120 days and it gives an average yield of 18-20qtl/acre.

Hybrid varieties:

APHR 1: The variety matures in 130-135 days. It gives an average yield of 29qtl/acre.
 
KRH 1: The variety matures in 120-125 days. It gives an average yield of 25-27qtl/acre.

Pant Sankar Dhan 1: The variety is released by Pantnagar University in 1998. It is early maturing variety which matures in 115 days. It gives an average yield of 25-29qtl/acre.

CORH 2: The variety is released by Pantnagar University in 1998. The variety attains the height of 95cm. The variety matures in 125-130days. It gives an average yield of 25-29qtl/acre.

Narendra Sankar Dhan 2: The variety matures in 125-130 days and it gives an average yield of 27qtl/acre.

ADTRH 1: The variety matures in 115-120 days and it gives an average yield of 29qtl/acre.

DRRH 2: The variety matures in 120-125 days and it gives an average yield of 20-25qtl/acre.

PHB 71: The variety matures in 130-135 days and it gives an average yield of 41-50qtl/acre.

Pro-Agro 6201: The variety matures in 120-125 days.

Pro-Agro 6444: The variety matures in 140 days and it gives an average yield of 25-29qtl/acre.

RH 204: The variety matures in 120-125 days and it gives an average yield of 29qtl/acre.
 

Glyphosate should be applied for the betterment of the dry field to clear the weeds and for hygienic growth. After harvesting of wheat grow dhaincha (seed rate 20kg/acre) or sunhmp@20kg/acre or cowpea@12kg/acre upto first week of May. When crop is of 6-8week old, bury them into the soil one day before transplanting of paddy. It will save 25kg of N per acre. Use laser land leveller for land levelling. After then puddled soil and to obtained fine well levelled puddled field to reduce water loss through percolation.   

Time of sowing :
Sowing of Pant Dhan 4, Pant Dhan 18, Pant Dhan 19, Narendra 359, Sarju 52, Pusa 44 etc should be done in end-May to start-June. Medium maturing varieties such as IR 24, IR 64, Ratna, Pant Dhan 10, Pant Dhan 11, Pant Dhan 12 are sown in mid-June. The varieties such as Saket 4, Pusa 2-21, Govind, Ananda are sown in July month. The sowing time of Basmati varieties are in mid-June month. 

Sowing depth :
The seedlings should be transplanted at 2 to 3 cm depth. Shallow planting gives better yields.

Spacing:
In fertile soil, use spacing of 20cmx15cm where in poor soils conditions use planting distance of 15cmx10cm. For water logging areas use spacing of 20x20cm.

Method of sowing:
Transplanting method is used. For transplanting, use 25-30days old seedlings. 
In Irrigated and shallow rainfed areas, transplanting method is used. For transplanting, use 25-30days old seedlings
In water logging areas use 30-35days old seedlings for transplanting.
For upland rice, seeds are broadcasted on dry or moist soils.

Seed Rate
Use seed rate of 6-8kg for one acre land.

Seed Treatment
Before sowing, soak them in 10Ltr water containing, Carbendazim@20gm+ Streptocycline@1gm for 8 to 10hr before sowing. After then dry seeds in shade. And then use for sowing.
Also you can use below mention fungicides to protect crop from root rot disease. Use chemical fungicide first then treat seed with Trichoderma.

Wet bed nursery: It Is done in region having adequate water availability. Nursery area is about 1/10 of the area to be transplanted. Broadcast Pre-germinated seeds on puddled and levelled soil. Keep the beds moist for the first few days. Do not flood the beds. When the seedlings are about 2 cm high, keep the beds submerged in a shallow layer of water. Apply dose of 26kg/acre Urea about a fortnight after sowing. For transplantation use seedlings of 15-21days or when seedlings are 25-30cm long. Regularly.irigated the nursery. 

Dry Bed: It is prepared in dry soil condition. Total seed bed area is about 1/10 of the area to be transplanted. Make seed bed of convenient dimensions with the soil raised at height of 6-10 cm. Spread half burned rice husk on these beds for easy uprooting. Irrigation should be done properly because less moisture can damage seedling. Incorporate basal fertilizer for proper nutrients.

Modified Mat nursery: This is the modified method of nursery making which require less space and less quantity of seeds. It can be cultivated at any place having flat surface and assured water supply. The area needed is about 1% of the transplantable land. Establishing seedlings in a 4cm layer of soil mix, arranged on a firm surface. Make 1m wide and 20-30m long plot and spread plastic sheet or banana leaves on it. Place a wooden frame with 4cm deep and then Fill the frame with soil mixture. Sow pre-germinated seed in it and cover the seed with dry soil. Immediately sprinkle water on it. Irrigate frame as and when needed and keep it moist. Seedlings are ready for transplanting within 11 to 14days of sowing. Transport seedling mat to field and separate them and transplant 1-2seedligs at 20x20cm or 25x25cm spacing.  

Method of Transplanting
1) Flat puddled transplanting: Transplant seedlings in line at 20x15cm for normal and 15x15cm for late transplanting. Put 2 seedlings per hill and the seedlings should be transplanted upright and about 2-3cm deep.
2) Bed Transplanting: Transplant seedlings on middle of slopes of bed. These bed are prepared by wheat bed planter in heavy soil. Before transplanting irrigate the furrows, then transplant seedlings by maintaining a plant to plant distance of 9cm.
3) Mechanical transplanting: For transplanting Mat type nursery, mechanical transplanter are used. It transplant seedlings at spacing of 30x12cm.

 

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

For Irrigated shallow and lowland rainfed areas requires, near about 41-50kg/acre of Nitrogen(Urea@90-110kg), 30kg of Phosphorus (SSP@190kg/acre) and 27kg of Potash (MOP@45kg) per acre. Apply half dose of Nitrogen and the full amount of Phosphorus and Potash at transplanting time. Apply the remaining amount of Nitrogen in two equal splits i.e. 1/4th of N applied at time tillering stage and 1/4th at the time of Panicle initiation stage.

In water logging areas (i.e. low laying area where water accumulates in rainy season) use Nitrogen fertilizer@30-41kg/acre (Urea@65-90kg/acre) as basal dose.

For rainfed medium low lying areas, apply Nitrogen@23-32kg i.e (Urea@52-70kg/acre) and Phosphorus@16kg/acre (SSP@100kg/acre). Apply half dose of N and full dose of P before transplanting and remaining dose of N at the time of Panicle emergence.

For upland Rice, apply Nitrogen@23kg (Urea@52kg), Phosphorus@12kg (SSP@75kg) and Potash@12kg/acre (MOP@20kg). Half dose of Nitrogen and full dose P &K applied three weeks after sowing. Remaining nitrogen applied in two splits, six weeks after sowing and at booting stage respectively.
 

Chemical weed control

Use Butachlor 50 EC@1200ml/acre or Thiobencarb 50EC@1200ml or Pendimethalin 30 EC@1000ml or Pretilachlor 50 EC@600ml per acre as pre-emergence herbicides, 2 to 3 days after transplanting. Mix any one of these herbicides in 60kg of sand per acre and broadcast uniformly in 4-5cm deep standing water.

For broadleaf weed control, apply Metsulfuron 20WP@30gm/acre in 150Ltr water as post emergence, 20-25 days after transplanting. Before spray, drained out the standing water from the field and apply irrigation one day after spray.

Apply pre-emergence spray of butachlor@1 liter /acre, six to seven days after sowing.
 

Keep field flooded upto two weeks after transplanting. When all water get infiltrated two day after apply irrigation in field. Depth of standing water should not exceed 10cm. While doing intercultural and weeding operation, drain out excess water from field and irrigate field after completion of this operations. Stop irrigation about a fortnight before maturity to facilitate easy harvesting.
For uplands irrigation is completely depend on rainfall. Depending upon rainfall intensity and frequency and depending upon water availability, provide water at critical stages. 

• Pest and their control:
  

Root Weevil: The presence of root weevil can be detected by the root and leave damage of yield. These are white legless grub feeds mainly on root. Plant gives yellow appearance, growth gets stunted and few tillers are form.
If incidence is observed apply Carbaryl (4G)@10 kg either Phorate (10 G)@4 kg or Carbofuran (3 G) @10 kg per acre.

Plant Hoppers: These mainly occur in the irrigated wetland conditions or in rainfed areas. The presence of pest shows the browning of the yield, sooty molds and honeydew present in bases where infected.

If incidence is observed to control, spray with Dichlorvos @ 126 ml or 400 gm Carbaryl in 250 Ltr of water per acre or Imidacloprid @ 40 ml or Quinalphos 25 EC @ 400 ml or Chlorpyriphos @1 Ltr in 100 ltrs of water per acre.

Leaf folder: This pest develops in high humidity and specifically found where rice is fertilized heavily. Larva fold the leaves and eat the plant tissue and produces white streaks.

Control: If infestation is observed spray crop with Cartap hydrochloride @ 170 gm or Triazophos @350 ml or Chlorpyriphos @1 Ltr in 100 Ltr of water per acre.

Rice Hispa: It is serious pest in some districts. Larva create tunnel into leaves and thus destroyed leaves by producing white streaks on leaves.

If Infestation is observed in field, spray crop with Methyl Parathion@120 ml or Quinalphos 25 EC@400 ml or Chlorpyriphos @1 Ltr in 100 ltr of water per acre.

Stem borer: Larva bore into the stem and causes dead heart. The old ones produce empty ear heads which turn white.

Control: If infestation is observed in field take spray of Cartap hydrochloride @ 170 gm or Triazophos @ 350 ml or Chlorpyriphos @ 1 Ltr per 100 Ltr of water.

• Disease and their control:

Blast: Due to blast disease, spindle shaped spots with grayish centre and brown margin observed on the leaves. Also give neck rot symptoms and panicles get fall over. Observed in areas having excessive use of Nitrogen.

If infestation is observed, spray with Zineb@500 gm/acre in 200 Ltr of water.

Karnal Bunt: Few grains in panicle get affected first and part of grain gets converted into black powder. In severe condition whole panicle gets affected and black powder spread on leaves, grains etc.

To control this disease, avoid excess use of Nitrogen. When crop is at 10% flowering stage, take spray of Tilt 25 EC @200 ml/200 litre of water. Repeat the spray with interval of 10 days.
 

False smut: This fungus developed large greenish velvety spore-balls on individual grains. In humid, high rainfall and cloudy conditions, chances of spread of disease are high. Excessive use of Nitrogen also increases intensity of attack.

To control this disease spray with 500 gm Copper Oxychloride per acre in 200 Ltr of water at boot stage in crop. With interval of 10 days, take spray with Tilt 25 EC @ 200 ml/200 liters of water.

Sheath blight: On leaf sheath, grayish lesion with purple margin is developed. Later these lesions get developed and enlarge. In severe condition, poor grain filling is observed. Avoid excess use of Nitrogen. Keep field clean.

If incidence of disease is observed, spray crop with Tebuconazole or Tilt 25 EC@200 ml or Carbendazim 25% @200 gm in 200 Ltrs of water per acre. Repeat the spray after 15 days interval.

Reap the yield once the panicles are developing fully as well as the crops get changed significantly yellow. The yield is generally harvested manually by sickles or by blend harvester. The harvested crops, tied up into compact bundles, strike it against really hard surface to split the grains from straw, accompanied by winnowing.

The post-harvest method includes some procedures which include the interval from harvest to utilization 1) harvesting 2) threshing 3) cleaning 4) drying 5) warehouse 6) milling then transport to the trade.

Before the storage of grains to protect harvested stuff from pest and disease attack, mix 500 gm Neem seed dust with 10 Kgs of seed. To protect stored grains from pests attacked Mix Malathion 50 EC@30 ml/3 Ltr of water. Spray for 100 sq.mtr storage area at every 15 days.