Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR)

Source: Indian Express
GS III: Major Crops – Cropping Patterns in various parts of the country, Different Types of Irrigation and Irrigation Systems, E-technology in the aid of farmers, Science and Technology

Overview

News in Brief
Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR)
Features of Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR)
Advantages
Challenges of DSR & Way Forward

Why in the News?

Farmers in north-west India are increasingly adopting Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) as an alternative to conventional transplanted rice.

News in Brief

Weak monsoon conditions associated with El Niño have increased the need for water-efficient cultivation practices.
Labour shortages and rising cultivation costs are encouraging farmers to shift towards DSR.
Herbicide-tolerant (HT) basmati varieties developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have improved weed management, promoting wider adoption of DSR.

Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) is a method of rice cultivation in which seeds are directly sown into the main field, eliminating nursery raising, seedling uprooting, manual transplantation, and puddling.
It can be practiced through dry seeding, wet seeding, or zero-till seed drills, depending on local conditions.

Conventional Paddy Cultivation

Nursery is prepared and seedlings are raised for 25–30 days.
Main field undergoes puddling before transplantation.
Seedlings are manually transplanted.
Fields remain flooded during the initial crop stage with regular irrigation.
What is Puddling?
- Puddling is the process of flooding and repeatedly ploughing the field to create a soft muddy seedbed.
- Objectives – Facilitates transplantation, reduces seepage, suppresses weeds, and improves seedling establishment.
- Drawbacks- High water and labour requirement, soil degradation, delayed sowing of the next crop, and increased methane emissions.

Features of Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR)

Direct Sowing of Seeds
- Paddy seeds are directly sown into the prepared main field without raising a nursery.
- Eliminates the need for seedling uprooting and manual transplantation.
- Sowing can be done using seed drills, broadcasting, or zero-till machines, depending on field conditions.
No Requirement of Standing Water
- Unlike conventional paddy cultivation, DSR does not require continuous flooding during crop establishment.
- Seeds germinate under moist soil conditions rather than submerged conditions.
- This significantly reduces the demand for irrigation water.
Efficient Irrigation Management
- Irrigation is applied only to maintain optimum soil moisture, rather than keeping fields continuously flooded.
- Saves approximately 25–35% irrigation water.
- Reduces groundwater extraction and electricity consumption for pumping water.
Herbicide-Based Weed Management
- Since fields are not flooded, weed infestation is higher than in transplanted rice.
- Weed control mainly relies on pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides, along with Integrated Weed Management (IWM) practices such as crop rotation and mechanical weeding.
- Herbicide-tolerant rice varieties further improve weed control efficiency.
Suitable for Mechanized Farming
- DSR is compatible with modern farm machinery, including seed drills and zero-till planters.
- Reduces dependence on manual labour.
- Enables timely sowing, increases operational efficiency, and lowers cultivation costs.
Resource-Efficient Cultivation
- Requires less labour, water, time, and energy than conventional transplanted rice.
- Promotes efficient utilization of agricultural inputs, making it a climate-smart and sustainable farming practice.

Advantages

Eliminates nursery preparation and transplantation, reducing labour dependence and cultivation costs.
Lowers expenditure on irrigation, labour, and nursery management.
Suitable during weak monsoon, water scarcity, and El Niño years.
- Since rice is India’s most water-intensive cereal crop, DSR helps reduce irrigation demand during deficient rainfall years.
Lowers methane emissions compared to flooded paddy fields.
Promotes climate-smart, resource-efficient, and sustainable agriculture, especially in water-stressed regions such as Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

Challenges of DSR

High weed infestation due to the absence of standing water.
Greater dependence on herbicides and risk of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Requires adequate soil moisture during germination.
Needs scientific management of seed rate, sowing depth, and irrigation.
Performance varies across soil types.
Needs farmer training and awareness.
Improper management may reduce crop yield.

Herbicide-Tolerant (HT) Basmati Varieties and DSR

Why are HT Varieties Important for DSR?
- Weed infestation is the biggest challenge in Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) because fields are not continuously flooded, allowing weeds to grow easily.
- To address this challenge, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has developed Herbicide-Tolerant (HT) Basmati varieties.
Important Varieties
- Pusa Basmati-1985.
- Pusa Basmati-1979.
Key Features
- Tolerant to Imazethapyr herbicide.
- Enable effective weed control in DSR without damaging the rice crop.
- Developed through mutation breeding, not genetic modification (GM).
How Do HT Varieties Work?
- Mutation Breeding
  - A conventional breeding technique that induces useful genetic changes without introducing foreign genes.
Role of the ALS Gene
- The ALS (Acetolactate Synthase) gene produces the ALS enzyme required for synthesizing the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
- In HT varieties, the ALS gene is altered, preventing Imazethapyr from binding to the enzyme.
- As a result, the rice crop survives while susceptible weeds are eliminated.
Imazethapyr and Weed Management in DSR
- A selective herbicide used to control grassy and broadleaf weeds.
- It inhibits the ALS enzyme in susceptible weeds, causing their death.
Integrated Weed Management (IWM)
- Since DSR fields are not flooded, effective weed control requires:
  - Herbicides (e.g., Imazethapyr).
  - Crop rotation.
  - Mechanical weeding.
  - Mulching and other cultural practices.
Significance
- HT basmati varieties overcome the major limitation of DSR—weed infestation.
- They reduce labour for manual weeding, improve crop establishment, and promote the wider adoption of water-efficient DSR cultivation.

Way Forward

Promote precision irrigation and scientific DSR practices.
Strengthen Integrated Weed Management (IWM).
Develop more climate-resilient and herbicide-tolerant varieties.
Expand mechanization through custom hiring centres.
Increase research on sustainable weed management.
Promote region-specific DSR recommendations.
Strengthen groundwater conservation policies and integrate DSR into climate-smart agriculture programmes.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements:

DSR involves direct sowing of paddy seeds without transplantation.
DSR eliminates puddling and reduces labour requirement.
Imazethapyr inhibits the ALS enzyme in susceptible rice plants.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 3 only

Answer: c) 1,2 and 3

Mains Practice Question

Q. Examine the significance of Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) in addressing India’s water, labour, and climate challenges. Suggest measures for its wider adoption. (15 Marks, 250 Words)

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Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) – UPSC Notes