Rainfed rice - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

RAINFED RICE A SOURCEBOOK OF BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES IN EASTERN INDIA
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Digging topsoil with a spade
Reminder!
Spade-digging is feasible
only over small areas. In
the case of larger areas,
farmers can use tractor-
mounted chisellers.
Underground stems and tubers of Cyperus rotundus L.
Digging with a spade during
summer
In this practice, the soil is dug
manually with a spade. The depth of
the soil tilled in this method is
greater than what can be done with
the country plough. This practice is
adopted where perennial weeds
such as bermuda grass ( Cynodon
dactylon L.), nut grass ( Cyperus
rotundus L.) and wild cane
( Saccharum spontaneum L.)
proliferate. This practice is
cumbersome but effective.
The underground vegetative
propagules (nuts/rhizome/tuber,
etc.) of these weeds are cut and
exposed to the sun, resulting in
their dessication.
Continuous use of this method
year after year helps the farmers
get rid of the weeds whose
proliferation cannot be checked
by other methods.
Tevai followed by hand weeding
Tevai is a vernacular word meaning
third. This practice is adopted by the
upland rice farmers who grow
traditional cultivars. In this method,
rice seeds are broadcast in moist soil.
On the third day of sowing, shallow
ploughing of the field is done using a
country plough. This helps farmers
in two ways:
the emerging weeds are uprooted
and their growth is suppressed/
checked; and
the crust formed is broken,
facilitating the easy germination
of rice.