Ahead of the paddy sowing in Kashmir, the agriculture experts have suggested a number of measures for farmers for better crop yield and disease management for paddy beds. Tahir Ahmad Tahir, Agriculture Extension Assistant Agriculture Department Kashmir, said the area of raising the nursery should be approximately 1/20th of the area of the field for which seedlings are to be raised for transplanting. He said that the nursery should be well-puddled, levelled and free from weeds and the area should have adequate water for irrigation and facilities for drainage.
Tahir said paddy seed should be soaked in water and incubated for 36-48 hours or till it sprouts properly. “Broadcast sprouted seed uniformly in the seed bed and maintain 2-3 cm water level till sprouted seeds are established. Control algal growth in the seed bed by avoiding of incorporation of undecomposed materials at the time of nursery bed preparation, proper incorporation of DAP, avoid muddy water for irrigation drain out water from bed,” he said.
Tahir said the usual sowing time in the valley for paddy nursery is 3rd week of April to the middle of May. “In order to obtain maximum yield, transplanting of paddy should be completed between the last week of May up to the second week of June. Any delay beyond this period results in the reduction of crop yield. It is better to complete the sowing operation for the direct seeded crop by the first week of May,” he said.
The expert suggested farmers to transplant 30-35 days old, healthy seedlings at 2-3 seedlings per hill, maintaining a spacing of 15 cm x 15 cm, immediately after uprooting from the nursery. “For better tillering, the seedlings should be transplanted less than 3 cm deep. Gap filling should be carried out 7-10 days after transplanting. For late transplanting, under unavoidable circumstances (beyond 20th June) and under waterlogged conditions, the number of seedlings per hill should be increased to 6,” he said.
Regarding weed management, Tahir said weeds can be reduced by proper puddling and water management in paddy. “Maintenance of 5 cm water level in paddy fields reduces weed growth to some extent. Weeds can be controlled either by mechanical means or by application of weedicides,” he said.
Stressing on water management, he said proper water management will enable the crop to tiller profusely, increase the fertilizer use efficiency of applied nitrogen, reduce weeds to some extent and reduce overall water requirement. “To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to ensure a proper level of the field and approximately 3-5 cm water level should be maintained,” he said.
Tahir also said that paddy blast has been found to be of frequent occurrence under Kashmir condition. “Therefore, an integrated approach has to be followed to check the disease which includes use of disease-free/treated seed, field sanitation, proper weed control and use of fungicides when disease appears in the field,” he said. In September last year, several diseases including blasts and some pest infestations extensively damaged paddy crops in Kupwara and Budgam following which the Agriculture Department had then suggested farmers to adopt hygienic practices for disease management.
