Novel method of seedling paddy

M. A. PHAKURDEEN Addalaichenai group corr.

ADDALAICHENAI: A method of field establishing paddy “Seedling Broadcasting or Parachute Method” was introduced by the Rice Research and Development Institute, Batalagoda is being popularised among the paddy growers of Ampara district.

The officials headed by the OIC of the Seed Certification Service of Ampara M. I. Nazeer the Department of Agriculture are behind this move and providing the guidelines and methods so as to encourage the farmers in this novel method of seedling.

According to the Department, although the transplanting has many advantages high labour cost and labour charges have diverted the rice farmers of this country towards broadcasting.

The new method introduced combines the advantage of both broadcasting and transplanting while it eliminates the disadvantages of both methods.

Under this method small cell plastic nursery trays are filled with mud and pre-germinated seeds are broadcast into the filled cells mud. 12-15 days after germination seedlings with the soil block are broadcast into the field.

This is a convenient method of field establishing paddy. The method was first developed to save the expensive hybrid seed costs but later found to be useful in field establishing other non-hybrid improved varieties.

One such field day was conducted in a paddy field at Ilukkuchenai along the Akkaraipattu - Ampara Road last week where a group of farmers actively participated. OIC Seed Certification Service M.I. Nazeer detailed the farmers about the nursery preparation, paddy field nursery, and highland nursery, fertilization of the nursery, seed requirement, watering, seedling broadcasting and its advantages of seedling broadcasting. Doubts and questions raised by the farmers were also answered by the Officials of Seed Certification Services. Paddy growers were also imparted practical knowledge on this field day.

It is anticipated that this novel method of seedling with the latest technology would bring in more yield to the farmers who had hitherto been accustomed to the old and traditional method.