SOW NURSERY OF SHORT DURATION RICE VARIETIES: PAU

Ludhiana, May 17, 2017: The rice experts of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have advised the farmers of Punjab to sow nursery of short duration rice varieties. Dr G.S. Mangat, Senior Rice Breeder-cum-Incharge, Rice Section, PAU, said, “This is the appropriate time for sowing of nursery of short duration rice varieties. Farmers can sow the nursery of PR 122 from May 15-20 and of PR 124, PR 123, PR 121 and PR 114 from May 20-25.” The seeds of these rice varieties are available at PAU, Ludhiana and at its Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Seed Farms throughout the week, he informed. The 25-30 days old nursery of PR 124 and 30-35 days old nurseries of other varieties should be transplanted for better results, he suggested. These varieties will vacate the fields by mid-October, providing the farmers enough time for residue management and timely sowing of succeeding wheat crop, he observed.

Dr Mangat said, “With the release of the new high yielding short duration disease resistant varieties of rice by PAU, there has been a remarkable increase in area under short duration varieties.” Among newly released varieties, PR 121 emerged as the most popular variety among the farmers of the state and was grown on more than 7.0 lakh ha (30 percent) during Kharif 2016, while the area under long duration variety Pusa 44 came down to 20 per cent, he told. The newly released varieties are yielding almost at par with the earlier released/popular long duration varieties but mature 2-3 weeks earlier, thereby, yielding more per unit area, time and inputs, and showing better resource use efficiency, he added.

For raising healthy nursery, Dr Mangat advised the farmers to sow the treated the seed (8 kg seed in 10 litres of water + 20 g Bavistin + 1 g Streptocycline for 8-10 hours). Apply 26 kg urea, 60 kg superphosphate and 40 kg zinc sulphate heptahydrate (21% Zn) or 25.5 kg zinc sulphate monohydrate (33% Zn) per acre in the puddled field at the time of nursery sowing, he said. In nursery, the weeds can be controlled by the application of Sofit 37.5 EC (500g) after three days of sowing or Butachlor 50 EC (1200 ml) after seven days of sowing by mixing in 60 kg of sand per acre, he added.