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ESSENC
CE - Interna
ational Jourrnal for Envvironmentaal Rehabilitaation and Conservation
n
Volume VI: No. 1 2015 [14
[ – 18] [ISS
SN 0975 - 62722]
[ww
ww.essence-jouurnal.com]

m of Rice Escalation
System E (SRE): A new conceept for ricce cultivatiion

Pant, H.V.1 and Kumar, Suresh

h2

8, 2015 ⏐ Acccepted: April 14, 2015 ⏐ Online:

Received: February 28 O June 30,
3 2015

nutrrient and weed management m t. The

About 72% people are lives in rural areeas
System of Rice R Escalaation (SRE)) better
and aboout 58% people’ s livelihood are
utiliizes the natural
n ressources likke soil,
agricultuure. Agricultture plays major
m role in
nutrrient, waterr, space annd light thhan any
Indian economy
e an
nd contribuutes 2.3% of
otheer convenntional m
method off rice
world lannd share wiith 4.2% of water
w resourrce.
culttivation. It is an ecoo-friendly approach
a
About 17% 1 of worrld population and 11 to
provvides betterr growing conditions
c f
for rice
12% of cattles lives in India. To fulfill the t
cropps particularrly in the rooot zone.
demand of food and a fodder for man and a
animals, can’t be prrovide withoout increasiing This technologgy have been b trustedd and
per unit productivity
p of food graiins and foddder. adopted in aboout 25 couuntries like China,
Hence, there
t is greeat potentiaal to increaase Indiia, Indoneesia, Philllippines, Srilanka,
S
productivvity per un nit area. Syystem of Rice R Banngladesh, Nepal, Afgannistan, Maddagascar,
Escalatioon (SRE) iss a new cooncept of rice r Commbodia, Zaambia, Mannymar, Jappan etc
cultivatioon, originateed in Madaagascar is an acrooss the world
w providding farmerrs with
importannt alternate to increase per unit u incrreased options. In Inndia, statees like,
productivvity of ricee. It savess costly seed, Anddhra Pradessh, Tamil Nadu, Kaarnataka,
irrigationn water an nd crop duration
d w
with Bihhar, Jharkhhand, Orisssa, U.P., Punjab,
maximum m productioon. It also improves soil s Chhhattisgarh, West Benngal, Tripuura etc.
health. System of Rice Escaalation is a werre adopted and cultiivating successfully.
combinattion of several practices p thhat How wever, effoorts are still
s continnue for
includes little diffeerences in nursery, eaarly adoption in all over the coountry includding our
transplannting, less water
w requirrement, state Uttarakhannd.
For corresspondence: Imp
portance of SRE
1
Deptt. of Chemistry,
C S.G.R
R.R. (P.G.) Colllege, Dehradun, India
2
Deptt. of Chemistry,
C Goveernment Degree College, Talwarri, i.. To achieve maximuum productiivity per
Uttarakhannd, India
Email: drh hvpant@gmail.ccom
unit areea from saame rice varieties/
v
hybrids.

14
 Pant & Kumaar /Vol. VI [1] 2015/14
2 – 18

ii. Better utilizzation of plant geneetic

B Provisioon should be
b made forr 30 cm
potential, land
d, labour, water
w inputs and
a wide chhannels a 2 meter interval.
i
m
management. Perfect leveling iss the pre-rrequisite
iii. T create eco-friendlyy atmospheere
To for prooper waterr managemeent and
annd to cheeck human as well as good croop stand.
annimal healthh hazards iii.. Transpllanting of young seedlings:
iv. caaused by non- judiccious use of Young seedlings of 8-12 days are
chhemical in nsecticides, pesticides as carefullyy lifted alonga withh soil
w as imbaalance dose of fertilizerss.
well particless with minnimum distturbance
v. T ensure naational food and nutritionnal
To to the roots. Seedlings are planted
seecurity. immediaately withinn 30 minutes after
uprootinng, single seedling
s perr hill at
Basic principles of SRE
S
25 cm x 25 cm spaacing.
The Systtem of Ricee Escalationn is not a neew iv.. Water managemeent: SRE method
method or technology. It is juust altering the t does noot require continuous flooding.
f
managem ment practicces and too make moore Irrigatioon is given to maintaain soil
productivve phenoty ype fromm the sam me moisturee near saturration initiaally and
genotypee of rice plaant. Artificiall environments water is i let in whenw surfaace soil
are createed for growtth and devellopment of rice
r develops hairlinee cracks.. The
plant foor exploitattion of its full geneeric irrigatioon intervalss, howeverr, vary
potential. It can be accomplished
a d by followiing with sooil texture soils havinng lower
principlees: water hoolding capaccity.
i. Preparation of Nurseryy and Raisiing
P v.. Nutrien nt Managgement: Organic
seeedlings: Seedlings
S a
are raised in manuress are recom mmended in i SRE
sppecial raised bed nurseries preparred cultivatiion as they give
g better response
r
byy mixing FY YM and soill in layers and
a and improve soil health.
soowing 5 kg of pre-soakked seed in an Enrichm ment of soil s for nutrient
arrea of 100 m2/ha (incubated for 12 supply of FYM/ccompost (115 t/ha)
hours). As farf as posssible nurserries and incoorporation ofo in situ groown 45-
arre located adjacent
a to main field to 60 dayy old green manurres are
avvoid time laag between uprooting and
a beneficial.
planting whicch is not more than 30--40 vi.. Manageement of Weed: Alternate A
m
minutes. wetting and dryingg in SRE faacilitates
ii. Careful preparation off main fielld:
C excessivve weed growth whhich if
T
The main field is prepared
p a
and uncheckked in time maym cause im mmense
leeveled with little standinng water a day
d loss in yield. In SRE,
S the weeeds are
before plantting for grid g markinng. incorporrated by operating cono

15 
 Pant & Kumaar /Vol. VI [1] 2015/14
2 – 18

weeder betw
w ween rows at the rigght hybrids. Transplantiing of 8-12 days
d old
tiime, which also supplyy nutrients to tender seedlings
s ( 2 to 3 leavees stage)
thhe crop ass green manures.m Fiirst needs careful
c uproooting from nursery
w
weeding is to be done 10-12 daays to miniimize the root damagge. The
affter plantingg. Further weedings
w m
may field shhould be well puddlled and
be undertak ken dependding on the t levelled. After leveelling of thee field a
necessity at 10-15 dayss interval unntil marker can be use to layout the plot
crrop reachees panicle stage. For F into widder spacing i.e.
i 25 cm x 25 cm
smmoother and d easy operration of coono row to row and plannt to plant.
w
weeder, it is advisable too coincide the
t (iiii) Transpllanting: Young (8-12 days
w
weeding with
w irrigaation. Rotaary old) seeedlings aree transplannted in
w
weeding may y be supplem mented withh 1 SRE method.
m The seedlings should
orr 2 hand weedings
w too remove the
t not be damageed either during
w
weeds growiing near thhe hills whiich uprootinng or transpplanting in thhe main
m
might have been
b escapedd during rotaary field. A metal sheeet to be pusshed 4-5
w
weeding. inches below
b the nursery andd lifted
on to thhe plate aloong with soiil. After
uprootinng the seeddling transpllantation
METHO
ODOLOGY should be complleted as soon s as
(i) Field preparration: Landd selected foor
F possiblee, preferably within half h an
SRE should be leveled. When the hour too minimises the traumaa to the
plot is irrigaated the watter should seedlingg. Sinngle seedling
sppread uniforrmly across thet field. transplanntation of yooung seedlinngs with
Similarly, wh hen ever neeeded there care.
shhould be faccility to drainn the excesss (ivv) Method d of traansplanting: The
w
water. seedlinggs are trannsplanted shallow
(ii) Y
Young seed
dlings: Undder System of with thee roots farm ming as ‘L’ shape.
R
Rice Escalattion (SRE), 8 to 12 daays Start at 1 inch abovve the interseection of
old rice seed dling is founnd to be iddeal the horiizontal and vertical linnes and
foor early trannsplanting as
a comparedd to gently pull
p down using the pointing
p
25-30 dayss old seeedlings were finger. The seedlinng is takenn along
trransplanted in traditionnal method of with the soil usinng the thum mb and
riice cultivatiion. 8-12 days
d seedlinngs pointingg fingure. As a resuult the
have great potential for profuuse seedlingg establishes quicklyy and
tiillering and d root development. It grows healthy.
h Thhe field shoould be
reesults to achieve
a maaximum yield lightly irrigated
i eithher on the saame day
potential of o particullar varietiies/ or the day after transplaantation.

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 Pant & Kumaar /Vol. VI [1] 2015/14
2 – 18

Innitially, SRE E method requires 10--15 maturityy, one inchh of water should
laabourers to transplant oneo acre. Onnce be mainntained in the field. Thhe water
thhe farmers/ labourers gaain experiennce can be removed afteer 70% of thhe grains
itt can be completedd with few wer get harddened.
persons. Th he seedlingg should be (vvii) Weed managemen
m nt: As therre is no
trransplanted when it is 2 - 3 leavves standingg water in SRE S methodd, weeds
sttage. When the seedling is would be more. There are several
trransplanted carefully inn this stage it advantagges of turniing the weeeds into
grrows health hy and geenerates moore the soil by using ann implemennt called
nuumber of tillers. It can achieve highher ‘weederr’. Use the weeder on the 10th
yield. & 20th day after transplantinng. The
(v) Wide
W spacinng: With wide spaciing weedingg problem is i addresseed to a
eaach plant getsg more space,
s air and
a large exxtent with this effort.. If the
suunlight. As a result eacch plant givves weeder is used onn 30th & 400th days
m
more tillers. The roots would groow after traansplanting, there will beb more
healthy and extensiveely and taake aerationn to the plannt roots resuulting in
m
more nutriennts. As the plant
p is stroong their heealthy grow wth. By ussing the
annd healthy the numbber of tillers weeder, the first advantage is the
w
would be more.
m The panicle
p lenggth control of weeds and also adding
w
would be mo ore. The pannicles has moore organic matter to the t soil. Thiis gives
nuumber of grrains and thee grains weigght the bennefits of cultivating
c a green
allso be more. manure crop. Furtther, the soil gets
(vi) Water
W Management: As A the soil is aerated and the rooots are expposed to
not flooded the roots of the padddy air. Thiis results inn profuse grrowth of
plant grow healthy, deeply d in all diverse soil microo organismss which
directions. The root growth is make nuutrients availlable to the plant.
p
exxtensive allso due to t the wiide (vviii) Pest & Diseases: The uniqueeness of
sppacing . As the field is intermittenntly SRE method
m lies in not usiing the
irrrigated an nd dried, the miccro chemicaal pesticidees and herrbicides.
orrganisms grow g well which maake Wider spacing
s andd use of organic
nuutrients avaailable to thhe plants. The T manuress result in healthy groowth of
fiield should be irrigatedd again whhen the plannts and inciidence of thhe pests
thhe soil dev velops hairr line cracks. and diseases
d iss naturallyy low.
D
Depending upon
u the soil and the t Howeveer, use prefeerably naturral/ bio-
ennvironment conditions, the frequenncy pesticidees wheneveer necessary to keep
of irrigation should be decided. Affter pest beloow economiic threshold level.
l
thhe panicle initiation stage unntil (ixx) Harvestting and post –
–harvest

17 
 Pant & Kumaar /Vol. VI [1] 2015/14
2 – 18

managementt: Drain ouut water froom

m as the soil is allowed to dry
thhe field wh hen grains in the low west intermitttently.
portion of the paniclee are in the t 5. Harvest healthy & good quallity rice
dough stage (about 20 days
d from 500% due to use of morre compostt/organic
fllowering). Allow
A the grrains to hardden matter.
annd harvest 30-35
3 days after
a floweriing 6. Higher grain and straw
s yields due to
w
when stalks still
s remain green to avooid profuse till ring, increased panicle
grrain shedding. Harvestt of paddy is length, less chaffy fy grain annd more
arround 20 to 24 perr cent graain grain weeight.
m
moisture. Thhresh as earrly as possibble 7. Seed multiplication
m n with less quantity
prreferably a day
d after harrvest and stoore of parennt seed.
thhe seed at 14
4% moisture content. 8. Farmerss can produuce their ow wn good
quality seed.
s
BENEFIIT OF SRE:
9. Resistannce to lodginng and wateer stress
1. Saving on seed cost as the seeed conditioon.
reequirement isi less (2 kgg/acre), reducces 10. It improoves soil heealth by increasing
65-70 per cen nt seeds. soil microbial activiities.
2. Saving of waater about 35-45 per centt as 11. Early annd uniform maturity.
m
irrrigated and dry method followed.
12. Less dam
mage in SRE
E field. 
3. Cost
C of exterrnal inputs gets
g reducedd as
leess chemicall fertilizers and pesticiddes
arre used.
4. Inncidence of pests and diseases
d is low

18