Welcome To RCSKB,Assam

Pre-planting

Pre-planting activities involve choosing the right variety, developing a cropping calendar, and preparing the rice field for planting.

Crop Calendar

A cropping calendar is a picture of the rice growing season from the fallow period and land preparation, to crop establishment and maintenance through to harvest and storage.

The benefits of using a crop calendar are being able to:

Plan for input purchase and use,
Develop cash flow budget for the year,
Determine credit need and period of requirement,
Determine labor requirements and plan for peak usage times, and
Organize contractors for land preparation and harvesting.

Create a crop calendar

Determine the best date to plant. This information can be gathered from local experience, agricultural advisors and leading farmers in the district.
Determine the time the variety takes from planting to harvest. The length of time from establishment to harvest is known for each variety. It may vary a little depending on the growing conditions especially water availability and solar radiation. Normally short duration varieties take 100−120 days, medium duration 121−140 days, and long duration 140 days or more to reach maturity.
Most varieties take 50−55 days from panicle initiation to harvest.
Mark on the calendar the date of planting and then when each other operation needs to be done (ploughing, weeding, fertilizing, and harvesting).
Then determine how much labor, equipment and finance will be required at each step during the growing period.
Pin the calendar in a prominent place to remind you when things need to be done.

Variety	Ranjit
Duration	150 - 155 days
Crop calendar	Transplanting
Nursery operations
1st plowing	21 - 14 DBS
2nd plowing	15 - 10 DBS
3rd plowing	7 - 5 DBS
4th plowing	2 DBS
Harrowing	2 DBS
Raised bed preparation	1 DBS
Seed soaking	4 DBS
Seed incubation	2 - 3 DBS
Sowing	DOS
Main field operations
1st plowing	21 - 14 DBT
2nd plowing	15 - 10 DBT
3rd plowing	7 - 5 DBT
4th plowing	2 DBT
Harrowing	2 DBT
Crop protection in nursery	7 DBT
Crop protection at planting	DOT
Planting	30-35 DAS/DOT
Basal application of fertilizer	2 DBT
2nd dose of fertilizer	25 - 35 DAT
3rd dose of fertilizer	60 - 65 DAT
Post emergence herbicide application	3-5 DAT
Weeding	15 - 25 DAT
Crop protection at Tillering	25 - 45 DAT
Crop protection at PI	55 - 60 DAT
Crop protection at grain filling	95 - 100 DAT
Drain water	105 - 110 DAT
Harvesting	120 - 125 DAT
Storage	7 DAH

Seed quality

Introduction

Good quality seed reduces the required seeding rate and produces strong, healthy seedlings, resulting in a more uniform crop with higher yields.

Good seed is

Clean, free of stones, dirt, small soil clods and weed seed;
Genetically pure having grains of only one variety;
Healthy having full big grains of the same colour with no cracks or spotting.

Good quality seed can be either bought as foundation or certified seed, or the seed produced by the farmer in his own farm

Produce high-quality seed

Select a level field with well-maintained bunds having easy access.
Use clean, pure, true-to-type, and healthy seed.
Do a float test on the seed before planting and remove all seeds which float.
Use good management practices by planting on time, applying fertilizer, weedicides, weeding before 21 days after establishment, and do not let weed seeds mix with the grain seeds.
Rogue the fields by removing all rice plants that clearly look different during the vegetative, flowering, and grain-filling stages.
Harvest at full maturity when 80–85% of the grains are straw-colored or at 20–22% moisture content.
Thresh and dry quickly after harvest.
Store seed safely and label containers or bags with variety name and date of harvest.

How to select rice varieties?

Introduction

The most suitable variety is the one that best meets the farmer and the consumer’s needs. It may not always give the highest yields and may be influenced by availability of water (either from rain or irrigation), soil typeand field elevation and whether the rice would be sold or consumed at home.

Varieties should be selected based on good yield potential, resistance to disease and insect-pests, competitive ability to weeds, good eating qualities, high milling percentage and suitability to the market. When selecting a variety check the following:

Crop duration

● Long-duration varieties (more than 140 days) suitable for irrigated areas or flood-prone areas.
Medium-duration varieties (120–140 days) suitable for both rainfed and irrigated areas.
Short-duration varieties (less than 120 days) suitable for drought-prone areas or for double cropping.

Crop height

Tall varieties (>1.2 m) are suitable for flood-prone and unlevelled fields, lodging may be a problem.
Medium height varieties (1.0–1.2 m) are suitable for most of the areas and do not lodge, when fertilizer is used.
Dwarf varieties (less than 120 days) suitable for drought-prone areas or for double cropping.

Grain quality

A premium is often paid for aromatic varieties having longer grains, but yields are normally lower. Eating quality such as softness, stickiness, colour and taste after cooking are important.

Land Preparation

Introduction

A well prepared and levelled field gives a uniform, healthy crop that can compete with weeds, uses less water, and gives higher yields at a lower cost.

A well prepared field has:

Many small soil clods to give good seed-soil contact, i.e. clod size and seed size are similar.
No weeds
Harder layer at 10cm soil depth to stop water penetration
Level and smooth surface after working
Well-constructed bunds

To prepare the field

Whenever possible, plough immediately after the previous harvest, especially if the soil is still moist.
First or primary plowing: Use a disc or mouldboard plow to kill weeds and incorporate crop residue, preferably 2–3 weeks before planting with maximum depth of 12.5-15 cm.
Second plowing: Plow across the field with the disc or tine harrow at least twice to make small sized clod. Second plowing should be 10-15 days before planting and the last harrowing 5-7 days before planting with a maximum depth of 5–7.5 cm.
Repair bunds, destroy rat burrows, repair all holes and cracks, and re-compact the bunds. Bunds should be at least 0.5 m high and 1 m wide.
Levelling the field will give better water coverage, better crop establishment, and better weed control.
Soil puddling should be done at least 1-2 days before seeding to allow the water to clear when wet direct seeding.

Rice Pre Planting

Pre-planting

Crop Calendar

Seed Quality

How to select rice varieties?

Land Preparation

Rice

Pre-planting

Crop Calendar

The benefits of using a crop calendar are being able to:

Create a crop calendar

Seed quality

Introduction

Good seed is

Produce high-quality seed

How to select rice varieties?

Introduction

Crop duration

Crop height

Grain quality

Land Preparation

Introduction

A well prepared field has:

To prepare the field

Assam Agricultural University

International Rice Research Institute