PAU-KVK Kapurthala regularly monitoring DSR Crop

Ludhiana, June 20, 2024:  Considering the depleting of groundwater resources at an alarming rate in Punjab, Punjab Agricultural University –Krishi Vigyan Kendra (PAU-KVK), Kapurthala is incessantly promoting the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technology through demonstrations.

Owing to such vast scale demonstrations, it has come to light that whereas in 2023-24, paddy covered 1.19 lac hectare (estd.) area in Kapurthala district, of which mostly manual transplanting was opted by the farmers; DSR area in district Kapurthala increased to 130 hectares in the year 2023-24.

The KVK- team of Kapurthala has been conducting trainings and farmer-scientist interactions to promote the DSR, a water and labour-saving technology. Regular monitoring being an integral part of this activity, scientists from the KVK, Kapurthala visited the DSR fields of villages Dham, Talwandi Mehma, Kothe Chet Singh and Bheela on 19.06.2024. The team observed the germination of DSR (var. PR131 and PR126) and reported it as being very good and that the fields were free from weeds. The team also reported that farmers were using fertilizer on ‘soil test basis’ and weedicide was being used as per the ‘Package of Practices’ of PAU, Ludhiana. 

The team also came up with the observation that farmers seemed satisfied from the crop stand and had further decided to increase the area under DSR in upcoming years.