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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dry seeded rice technology

By Zuhair Hasnain

Dry seed rice cultivation on the mechanical lines is the linkage of past practice with throughput technology, becoming indispensable to address problems like drudgery, high production cost, low quality, low crop intensity and above all water and labour scarcity.
The sowing of dry seeds into dry or moist, non-puddled soil has many advantages over traditional transplanting and is a principal method of rice growing in many parts of the world including Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, America, Japan and the sub-Saharan Africa.
In Pakistan traditional dry seeding in rice is reported only in few acres across Punjab and a big space exist for both research and extension wing of the agriculture department for its standardisation, popularisation and adaptation. With the recent developments in rice production technology across the globe, there should be flexibility in opting for the prevailing patterns and latest trends to achieve self-sufficiency and resource conservation.
Dry seeded rice, a simple approach, is beneficial for farmer. The foremost principal underlying this theory is water saving, cost benefit ratio, efficient land utilisation and better management practices. Water situation in the country and its scarcity need not be elaborated. In dry seeding of rice 30 per cent of water can be saved by eliminating puddling and if
intermittent irrigation (alternate wetting and drying concept), a new method of irrigation, is used additional 15-30 per cent of water can be saved and that can be a big achievement.

Dry seeded rice technology

Beside, about 40 per cent of labour cost can be saved by dry seeding method. Dry seeding also implies time saving, quicker land preparation in effective manner, and maximised yield.
Going ahead, if one more step is taken by clubbing the dry seeding rice cultivation with mechanised farming, it can reward the farmers more by generating the idea of intensification, higher yield with low input, reduced tillage and efficient utilisation of nutrients (proper placement and time).
Mechanisation will lead the growers to resource use efficiency and sustainable agriculture while muting the voice of environmental pollution.
The biggest challenge to this practice is weed manifestation. Various pre- and post-emergence chemicals have been introduced to fix it. Besides this, research is going worldwide over this system of cultivation for best management practices under innovative ideas by agronomists in regards to response of new breeding lines, adaptation to different soils and climatic conditions, and effective use of mechanisation concept.
Finally, this change in sowing pattern is expected to have a big impact on Asian rice production efforts and on the region’s economies. This is because one of the main forces driving such changes has been shrinking resources in the region, especially available land and water.
Pakistan should be a part of knowledge sharing and applied research centers working round the world. This way one can succeed in the achievement of mutually agreed benefits such as serving humanity, coping food security and fighting for the cause of hunger.
Effort in the direction of increasing output at the least cost is more important as the world population is going to increase to nine billion by 2050, which will require more than doubling the current food production. Asia grows 90 per cent of rice of the world which is mostly consumed by its population.
Each hectare of rice-producing land at present is providing food for 27 people. By 2050, because of growth in population and increasing urbanisation, each hectare will have to feed at least 43 people. This means that yields must be enhanced by at least 50 per cent over the next 40 years to prevent mass malnutrition among the 700 million Asians.
The writer is a PhD research scholar at The International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines.

z.hasnain@irri.org

Courtesy: The DAWN

Agriculture: Soil Microbiology

Soil Microbiology Until fairly recently, the living soil has been considered as a functional black box that is intrinsically too difficult to be unravelled into its core components. However, this concept has changed with the advent of the modern methodologies. The intricacies of microbial life in soil has been impacted by the advanced, mainly molecular-based, approaches that have been unleashed on the soil habitat in recent years.

Soil MicrobiologyThe application of molecular and other advanced methods (cultivation-independent analyses) has provided exciting new insights into microbial life in soil. Soil is an extremely diverse and complex habitat containing many microsites and gradients that form a range of different biogeochemical interfaces. Depending on the proportion of sand, silt and clay, the surface area in soil can vary from 11 cm2 up to 8 million cm2 per gram of soil read more.

The aggregates formed by minerals, soil organic matter, fungal hyphae, roots and plant debris offer a range of potential niches for microorganisms with different lifestyles. The architecture of the soil pore network essentially defines the habitat colonized by the microorganisms and the pore space strongly influences the nature and extent of the interactions between the organisms inhabiting the soil. The latest news, research, and developments in energy technology from the technology Truenergy melbourne Save water. Save Energy. Save Money. Ecovantage improves the sustainability of your home and your budget.Soil_Microbial_Ecology_Entry_Page_comp.jpg

The heterogeneous physical structure of soil affects the spatial distribution of water, oxygen and nutrients, which in turn influences the composition and activity of the microbial communities themselves. As an example, the spatial distribution of bacteria in topsoil and subsoil was found to be different, but lateral variations in spatial distributions are also likely to occur. Soil is the surface layer of earth on which the human civilization depends for its existence. Actually soil represents the loose upper crust of the earth surface distinctly different from the underlying bed rock.

Its depth, colour, composition vary from place to place, but all soils are common in consisting of inorganic (mineral) and organic matter, water, and gaseous phases. Every soil is made up of a succession of layers, collectively known as soil-profile, reaching down to the parent material. The soil-profile consists of two or more horizontal layers, called horizons. The soil horizon may vary in thickness, mineral composition, and structure; they are indicated by the letter A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, etc. A1 horizon is the uppermost or surface layer of the soil and its fertility level is very important from viewpoint of an agriculturist.

Soil fertility depends not only on the presence of inorganic and organic substances, but also on the

presence of various species of

Courtesy:Restoration Soil