Semi dry rice cultivation for dry land - An opportunity for dry land agriculture

Abstract

In Asia, 90% of freshwater has been exploited by agriculture and more than 50% is utilized to irrigate rice. More than 75% of the rice supply comes from 80 M ha of irrigated rice. Therefore, food security is challenged and threatened by declining water availability. By the end of 2025, 2 M ha of dry season rice and 13 M ha of wet season rice would suffer from physical water scarcity in Asia. Therefore, agricultural scientists are looking for different approaches to reduce water use and increase the water use efficiency for rice production. An alternative approach to reduce water consumption and labour shortage in rice cultivation is of concern. Compared with the 1950s, the importance of direct seeding in irrigated and rainfed lowlands increased during the past three decades, mainly in India. Direct seeding helps maintaining crop residue on the soil surface and so builds soil organic matter that feeds soil microbial activity resulting in healthy soil and improved nutrient exchange capacity, direct seeding requires minimum manpower, fertilizers and minimum water requirement to get on bar potential yield.