Hannah Krujia Asangla
CTO – Agronomy, KVK Phek
Aerobic Rice Cultivation is a rice plantation method that uses less water. In this type of cultivation, rice is directly planted in aerobic soil without creating a puddle or in unflooded fields by using seeds that are dry or water soaked. Aerobic Rice refers to soil environment saturated with air rather than water, creating an aerobic situation. This brings about a wide range of physio-chemical (edaphic), biotic and microbiological changes. However, supplementary irrigation and organic fertilizers are required in this method to grow high yielding rice. Rice crops are traditionally grown in water, however aerobic rice cultivation requires very little water to grow the crop. Aerobic rice cultivation is possible in upland places or at flat terrain and deep soils capable of delivering water to the crop during rainfall. It is a direct seeding method that is also used to cultivate other crops such as Maize, soybean, beans, cabbage, etc.
Characteristics of Aerobic Rice
The variety must have following characteristics to be able to grow under aerobic conditions:
a) Should have a certain degree of drought tolerance
b) Must be deep rooted and should have high root volume with large number of fine roots, and exhibit vigorous growth
c) Capable of taking up Nitrogen in Nitrate form and Iron in ferric form
d) Should prefer to grow without standing water
e) Must be photo insensitive and have the developmental plasticity to anticipate moisture availability
f) Must be amenable for dry direct seeding
g) Grain should have acceptable physical, nutritional and culinary characteristics similar to wetland rice
h) The yield of paddy under aerobic conditions should be higher or equal to anaerobic condition
i) Should produce higher biomass
j) Should have a high harvest index
Package of Practices
Habitat: For Aerobic Rice, soil preparation is same for any other crops e.g. maize, sorghum, pulses, or millets. High carbon content in soil is desirable.
Terrain: Aerobic Rice is not suitable for coastal areas and for places where rainfall is heavy, and water is not manageable.
Land preparation: Slightly sloping fields are preferred. Direct seeding can be done in rows opened by plow behind bullock pairs, tractors and tillers. Well decomposed FYM (25 tons/ha) should be applied and incorporated into the field and green manuring is also recommended.
Seeds: Both hybrids and varieties of Aerobic Rice can be grown. Specially developed Aerobic Rice varieties or already released Aerobic Rice varieties, for that region, should be used.
Sowing: Seeding can be done in dry soil and germination starts when it rains or when irrigation is done. The recommended seed rate is 15 kg/ha. Sowing can be done in kharif or in summer season.
Spacing: Inter row spacing of 30 cm and intra row spacing of 10 cm is recommended. Only 1 seed is placed per hill.
Crop Management: Intercropping, mixed cropping, relay cropping, and crop rotation with pulses is recommended.
Earthing-Up: About 35 – 40 days after sowing, top dressing with Urea is mandatory, followed by earthing-up, to strengthen the base of the plants and to enhance tillering. Cono weeder can be used to loosen soil and also control weeds at early stage of the crop.
Nutrient management: The crop can be purely organic, if the soil fertility is high, otherwise fertilization with chemical fertilizers can be considered. A basal dose of 50:50:50 N: P: K is recommended. The remaining 50 N can be added in two splits. Second split at tillering stage and third split at peak vegetative stage. Application of growth stimulators e.g. silicon can enhance drought resistance, disease resistance and productivity.
Weed Control: Weeding must be done as needed either manually.
Water Management: There is absolutely no need for standing water in the field at any stage of crop. Most often, water from rains would be sufficient, if rains are well distributed and sufficient.
Irrigation: When there is no rain or the crop manifests water shortages, irrigation is necessary. Irrigation can be given by any available method such as flooding, sprinklers, surface or subsurface drips.
Pests and Disease Management: Aerobic Rice varieties are less prone to infestation. For minor pests and diseases recommended organic formulations can be used.
Grain Yield: Experimental yields of 7 t/ ha have been obtained. Farmers have obtained around 5 - 6 tons in their fields with well crop management practices. Under severe stress conditions 1.9 - 4 tons per ha have been recorded.
Rice Varieties for Aerobic Rice Cultivation
The list of the Aerobic rice varieties are -
1. NICRA Aerobic Dhan 1 (IET 26178) TRC 2015-5
• Developed by: ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Umiam, Meghalaya in the year 2019
• It is a medium duration variety, maturing in approximately 110-115 days.
• Recommended Zones: Suitable for aerobic conditions in Zones III (Jharkhand), (Chhattisgarh), and VII (Karnataka)
2. CR Dhan 200 / Piyari (IET 21214) CR 2624-IR 55423-01
• The variety is appropriate for dry regions of Odisha.
• The variety has 120–125 days duration with a semi dwarf plant height of 95 cm to 100 cm.
3. CR Dhan 201 (IET 21924) CR 2696-IR 83920
• In the states of Chhattisgarh and Bihar, the cultivar is suitable for mid to early stage aerobic cultivation.
• The variety has 110–115 days duration with a semi dwarf plant type of about 100 cm.
4. CR Dhan 202 (IET 21917) CR 2715-13-IR 84887-B-154
• The variety can be grown in the states of Odisha and Jharkhand in a mid early aerobic environment.
• The variety has a 115 days growing period and is of semi-dwarf plant type (100 cm).
5. CR Dhan 204 (IET 21692) CR 2696-IR 83920
• The variety is appropriate for a mid-to-early aerobic situation in the states of Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.
• The variety has 110 days duration with a semi-dwarf plant height of about 100 cm.
Conclusion
Aerobic rice cultivation involves growing of paddy in well drained soils without submerged conditions. This method uses external resources like irrigation and fertilizers to achieve high yields. Economical water usage is the key objective for aerobic rice, thriving in non puddled soils with 70% to 100% water holding capacity. Compared to traditional lowland rice, it can save up to 50% of irrigation water. Aerobic rice is essentially a fusion of drought resistance from upland rice and yield potential from lowland rice. It has enhanced upland rice production and improved lowland rice in drought tolerance. Aerobic rice varieties can grow rapidly and yield 4-6 t/ha in soils with moisture content at or below field capacity, with minimal fertilizer use. Aerobically grown rice types achieve yields comparable to traditionally irrigated paddy rice.
https://www.kisankraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Aerobic-Rice-English.pdf
https://www.krishisandesh.com/aerobic-rice-cultivation-in-india
https://testbook.com/ias-preparation/aerobic-rice
