Date:24/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/24/stories/2007022421420100.htm

Front Page

Sow less and you can reap more

Karthik Madhavan

NEW METHOD: System rice intensification has done a world of good to farmers.

GOBICHETTIPALAYAM: What you sow is what you reap, so goes the adage.

Farmers here are now learning to sow less to reap more. Farmers who have practised System Rice Intensification (SRI) in the just-concluded season.

All that farmers like M. Nanjappan did was follow SRI techniques: transplanted a paddy sapling at a time as against the regular four or five instalments; transplanted only between the eighth and 13th day of germination as opposed to the traditional 25 to 30 days; maintained a width of a foot between two saplings; watered the field only for the first 10 days and then alternated between wetting and drying as against the practice of maintaining water on field until 10 days prior to harvest.

Adoption of these methods helped in healthy germination of the seed, transplantation at the suggested time led to early development, implementation of the intercrop width resulted in robust stem growth, and reduced water content helped the entire process.

The results were for farmers to see. Mr. Nanjappan, who experimented SRI on his four acres, says, "After learning the advantages of SRI, I wanted to achieve a bountiful grain growth. The crop looks very healthy with the grains big and good in number.''

Once he harvests, which he will in another fortnight, he will know the net gain.

Other farmers who have harvested were equally positive. K. K. Prabhu, who practised SRI on his three acres, says the additional income starts with the savings on grains sowed.

"Under the old practice, I used 30 kg grain for an acre; now I sowed using just five kg."There is reduction in labour as well."For sowing 30 kg grain I employed 22 persons for an acre. After adopting SRI I needed only 15 persons,'' explains B. Tamilselvam, another SRI farmer.

And the result: Mr. Prabhu harvested 3,975 kg against 2,650 kg an acre, which he got last season. Mr. Tamilselvam from his half-an-acre got 330 kg more.

MYRADA-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, which advocates SRI, says they have been trying for the past couple of years to help the farmers switch from traditional farming to SRI.