'Farmers need to cultivate environmentally adaptable paddy varieties'

Priyanka KURUGALA

Farmers need to be motivated to cultivate paddy varieties which are adaptable to changing environmental conditions to reach global targets of self-sufficiency, said Mahailuppallama Field Crops Research and Development Institute Acting Director Dr. WMW Weerakoon.

"Sea levels will rise due to climate change towards the end of this century. The sea levels would be between 20 to 59 cm. There could be direct impacts of the sea level rise through submergence and increased salinity levels of coastal paddy lands.

There could also be indirect impacts with difficulties in draining water in the inland paddy lands, he said.

It is needed to develop saline tolerant rice varieties and associated technologies for saline flood prone lands, he said.

There is also an urgent need to develop varieties and associated technologies to overcome negative impacts of increasing air temperature, reducing availability of water quality, quantity and deteriorating soil environment with the rise in inland and coastal salinity, he said.

"Climate change is a slow process. Its impact is gradual. The positive impact of climate change is the increasing of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It will be absorbed through rice crop improvement programmes.

"The impact of temperature, water stress, salinity and other depleting reasons cannot be controlled naturally.

A well focused programme is needed to develop high yielding of paddy, he said.

"Varieties which are sustainable to water and fertilizer efficient, high temperature tolerant and salinity resistant varieties should be introduced. Suitable agronomic and cultural management options are needed to ensure self-sufficiency in food.

It is important to cultivate short or medium duration varieties of rice. Improvement in the irrigation system to reduce wastage is essential, he said.