WATER REQUIREMENTS

There should be at least 2 cm of water in the field during transplantation. Water should always stagnate in the rice field. Maintain at least 3 cm of water from the tenth day till crop maturity. Water is required especially during the critical stages of tillering, flowering and milk formation. Top dressing should not be done in marshy fields where there is excess water stagnation. The water should be drained and the land should be allowed to dry before adding manure. Fields should be irrigated immediately after manuring.
The water requirement is higher in red and sandy soils. Hence the frequency of irrigation should also be higher in such soils. This can be managed by incorporating the plant Ipomoea fistulosa into the soil. When these plants rot, they enhance the water holding capacity of the soil.

Irrigation

Watering is unnecessary if during the first ten days, the field receives good rain. Avoid flooding if weeds can be controlled manually. Flooding is done to suppress weed growth and to increase nutrient availability, such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium iron and silica. Provide water only at critical stages, viz., (a) during the initial seedling period covering about 10 days; (b) during tillering to flowering, which is the most critical stage; (c) panicle initiation stage to flowering (heading). Flooding is not necessary if the soil is saturated with rains.

Until the transplanted seedlings are well established, water should be allowed to stand in the field at a depth of 2–5 cm. Thereafter, about 5 cm of water may be maintained up to the dough stage of the crop.

Water should be drained out from the field 7–15 days before harvest depending on the soil type to encourage quick and uniform maturity of grain.

Training and pruning

Two months after transplanting, the upper portion of the rice plants can be cut with a sickle. This checks excessive growth of the plants and also strengthens their base. By this, lodging is prevented during the maturity period, especially in waterlogged conditions.

Updated on : Dec 2014