Cultivating Paddy in India: Best Practices followed and Crop Calendar

Paddy or rice is one of the most important staple crops in India, providing food and livelihood to more than half of the population. India is the second-largest producer of rice in the world, after China, with an annual production of about 120 million tonnes. Rice is grown in a variety of agro-climatic zones, ranging from coastal lowlands to high-altitude hills, under different cropping systems such as irrigated, rainfed, upland, lowland, deep water and saline.

In this blog post, we will discuss the best practices and crop calendar for paddy cultivation in India, based on the latest recommendations from various sources such as ICAR, University of Agricultural Sciences of the states, GKVK and other government agencies. We will also provide some rich illustrations and graphics to help you understand the concepts better. We will also embed some videos from YouTube and Vimeo using Hugo shortcodes to show you some practical examples of paddy farming.

Soil and Climatic Requirements for Paddy Cultivation

Paddy can be grown in a wide range of soil types, from sandy loams to heavy clays. However, the ideal soil for paddy cultivation is clay loam, which has good water-holding capacity and fertility. The soil pH should be between 5.5 and 6.5 for optimum growth and yield of paddy.

Paddy is a warm and humid crop, requiring a temperature range of 21°C to 38°C for its growth and development. It is a short-day plant, meaning that it flowers faster when the day length is shorter than 12 hours. Therefore, it is best suited for areas where the day length does not exceed 12 hours during the flowering stage. Paddy also requires adequate rainfall or irrigation during its growth period, especially during the critical stages such as tillering, panicle initiation and grain filling.

Varieties of Paddy for Different Seasons and Situations

Paddy is grown in three main seasons in India: kharif (June to October), rabi (November to February) and summer (March to May). Depending on the season and situation, different varieties of paddy are recommended for different regions of the country. Some of the popular varieties of paddy for different seasons and situations are given below:

Varieties for Kharif Season

• Early Kharif Planting: Bharani (NLR 30491), Somasila (NLR 33358), Swetha (NLR 40024), MTU 1010
• Kharif Normal Planting: Simhapuri, Tikkana, Pinakini, Sriranga, NLR 9674, Pardhiva, NLR 3041 (Nellore Sona)
• Kharif Aged Nursery (Aged Seedlings): Simhapuri, Tikkana, SriRanga
• Lowland Submerged Areas: Badava Mahsuri, Savitri
• Saline Soils: Swarnamukhi, Somasila, Deepti
• Late Kharif Planting: Swarnamukhi, Swathi, Sravani, Satya, Apoorva
• Rainfed Areas: Sri Satya, Varalu, JGL 17004 (Prathyumna)
• Irrigated Dry Situation: Tikkana, Simhapuri
• BPH Prone Areas: Deepti, Vijetha, Cottondora Sannalu

Varieties for Rabi Season

• Rabi Normal Planting: Swarnamukhi, Cottondora Sannalu (MTU 1010), Vijetha (MTU 1001), Nellore Mahsuri (NLR 34449), NDLR 8 (Nandyal Sannalu), NLR 3041 (Nellore Sona)
• Saline Soils: Vikas, Somasila (NLR 33358), Nellore Mahsuri (NLR 34449)
• Late Rabi Planting: Swathi, Satya, Somasila , Tellahamsa
• BPH Prone Areas: Cottondora Sannalu (MTU 1010), Vijaetha (MTU 1001)

Package of Practices for Paddy Cultivation

The package of practices for paddy cultivation includes the following steps:

Seedbed Preparation and Nursery Management

The seedbed preparation and nursery management depend on the type of nursery chosen for raising seedlings. There are three types of nurseries: dry seedbed, wet seedbed and dapog nursery.

• Dry Seedbed: Select a suitable land near the water source and plough the soil 3-4 times and use a rotavator after two ploughings for fine tilth and level properly. For a 1000m2 nursery area, apply fertilizer at the rate of 10 kg N, 2kg P2O5 and 2kg K2O. About one-tenth of the main field is required as a nursery.
• Wet Seedbed: Plough the soil 4-5 times till the desired tilth is obtained. Divide the plot into sub-plots of 1m*10m size by making drainage channels on all four sides. Apply 5kg urea, 10kg SSP and 5kg MOP before levelling per bed of 10m2 area.
• Dapog Nursery: Dapog method of raising nursery consists of growing seedlings on raised soil bed covered with polyethylene sheets. Sow pre-germinated seeds on top of the nursery cover, with a recommended rate of one kg per sq. meter. A nursery area of 25 to 35 sq.m. is enough to raise seedlings for 1 hectare. Seedlings raised by this method get ready for transplanting within 13 to 14 days. In case of zinc deficiency, spray a 0.5% solution of zinc sulphate heptahydrate.

Selection and Treatment of Seeds

Select healthy and pure seeds of the desired variety and discard any damaged or diseased seeds. Prepare a salt solution (60 gm in 1-litre water) and place the seeds in the container of salt solution. The seeds that float upon soaking should be removed. Dry the soaked seeds under shade.

Treat the seeds with fungicides such as captan or thiram @ 3g/kg of seed or carbendazim @ 2g/kg of seed to prevent seed-borne diseases. Alternatively, treat the seeds with biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma viride or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10g/kg of seed.

Seed Rate and Sowing Time

The seed rate and sowing time depend on the type of nursery and the season of cultivation. The following table gives the recommended seed rate and sowing time for different types of nurseries and seasons:

Transplanting and Spacing

Transplanting is the process of transferring the seedlings from the nursery to the main field. Transplanting should be done when the seedlings are 25 to 30 days old for wet seedbed and dapog nursery, and 35 to 40 days old for dry seedbed. The ideal age of seedlings may vary depending on the variety and season.

The spacing between rows and plants depends on the variety, soil fertility and irrigation method. The following table gives the recommended spacing for different varieties and situations:

The number of seedlings per hill should be one or two for early maturing varieties, two or three for medium maturing varieties, and three or four for late maturing varieties.

Water Management

Water management is one of the most important aspects of paddy cultivation, as it affects the growth, yield and quality of produce.