Crop production practices
Seedbed, seed treatment, sowing, fertilisers, irrigation, pests, diseases and integrated pest management.
Steps in raising a crop
Good crop production is a chain of timely operations.
Seedbed preparation
Primary tillage (ploughing) opens and loosens the soil; secondary tillage (harrowing, planking) breaks clods and levels the field. A good seedbed is firm, fine, moist and weed-free, giving good tilth. Rice is often transplanted into a puddled field (ploughed in standing water) to reduce percolation.
Seed and seed treatment
Use certified seed of a recommended variety. Seed treatment protects seeds and seedlings: fungicides (e.g. thiram, carbendazim) against seed-borne diseases, insecticides against soil pests, and biofertiliser cultures (Rhizobium, Azotobacter, PSB) to improve nutrition. The usual order is fungicide, then insecticide, then biofertiliser just before sowing.
Sowing
Methods include broadcasting, line sowing with a seed drill, dibbling and transplanting. Correct seed rate, spacing, depth and time of sowing ensure an optimum plant population.
Nutrient and water management
Fertilisers are applied as basal doses at sowing and top dressing later (especially nitrogen in splits). Irrigation is scheduled at critical stages.
Protecting the crop
Pests (insects, mites, nematodes, rodents) and diseases (fungal, bacterial, viral) can cause heavy losses. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines:
- Cultural methods: resistant varieties, crop rotation, timely sowing, field sanitation, trap crops (e.g. marigold around tomato for fruit borer).
- Mechanical methods: hand-picking, light traps, pheromone traps.
- Biological methods: Trichogramma egg parasitoids, NPV, Bt, Trichoderma.
- Chemical methods: pesticides only when the pest crosses the economic threshold level (ETL), the population at which control is worthwhile.
Harvest
The crop is harvested at physiological or harvest maturity.
Key points
- Puddling reduces water loss in transplanted rice.
- Seed treatment order: fungicide → insecticide → biofertiliser.
- Nitrogen is commonly split between basal and top dressing.
- ETL decides when chemicals are justified.
- Trap crops attract pests away from the main crop.
Common mistakes
- Mixing biofertiliser culture with fungicide at the same time; the fungicide can kill the microbes.
- Thinking IPM means no pesticides at all; it means need-based use.