Experts advise on how to manage rice yields in waterlogged fields

If you're engaged in rice cultivation and encountering waterlogging issues in your fields during the rice season, you can adopt the methods recommended by scientists. Even in waterlogged fields, farmers can generate significant profits by growing rice crops.

Dr. Ratnesh Kumar Jha from the Central Agricultural University explained that farmers often have to contend with waterlogging conditions. During the monsoon season, their fields are frequently waterlogged to a depth of about one to one and a half meters. In such circumstances, farmers can achieve satisfactory rice yields by adhering to the recommendations of scientists to mitigate these issues. Farmers can sow 20 to 25 kilograms of seeds per hectare.

Waterlogging Conditions:

Scientists have advised that farmers should directly plant rice in fields submerged between one to one and a half meters deep immediately after wheat harvesting, i.e., between March and May. If you intend to prepare a nursery and conduct transplanting, do so before June 10th. For the field, farmers can select from varieties like Sudha, Vaidhehi, Jalmagna, and Jalhari.

Water Management:

Light irrigation should be administered in the fields to maintain soil moisture. This facilitates adequate air circulation in the plant roots, promoting the development of roots and tillers, thereby enhancing nutrient absorption. Maintain consistent moisture in the field during tiller emergence and grain filling stages.

Use of Organic Fertilizers:

Supplying essential nutrients not only through chemical fertilizers but also by adding one-fourth of the nutrients through organic manure such as farmyard manure, compost, vermicompost, etc., proves beneficial.

Pest Management: Stubble should be removed along with the roots of submerged plants and transplanted puddling. Maintain a distance of 25 cm x 25 cm between plants in the field. Apply the Cono weeder 3-4 times at intervals of 10-12 days. This ensures the plants receive necessary nutrients and promotes healthy root development. Sufficient air circulation in the roots maintains their health.