Optimum age of seedlings for quick establishment

• Optimum age of the seedlings is 18-22 days for short, 25-30 days for medium and 35-40 days for long duration varieties.

Pulling out the seedlings

• Pull out the seedlings at the appropriate time (4th leaf stage).
• Pulling at 3rd leaf stage is also possible. These seedlings can produce more tillers, provided enough care taken during the establishment phase (See section 1.8 Integrated Crop Management (ICM) - Rice-SRI) through thin film of water management and perfect leveling of main field.
• Transplanting after 5th and higher order leaf numbers will affect the performance of the crop and grain yield. Then they are called as ‘aged seedlings’. Special package is needed to minimize the grain yield loss while planting those aged seedlings.

Root dipping

• Prepare the slurry with 5 packets (1000 g)/ha of Azospirillum and 5 packets (1000g/ha) of Phosphobacteria or 10 packets of (2000g/ha) of Azophos inoculant in 40 lit. of water and dip the root portion of the seedlings for 15 - 30 minutes in bacterial suspension and transplant.

Planting seedlings in the main field

• Transplant 2-3 seedlings/hill for short duration and 2 seedlings/hill for medium and long duration varieties
• Shallow planting (3 cm) ensures quick establishment and more tillers.
• Deeper planting (> 5cm) leads to delayed establishment and reduced tillers.
• Line planting permits rotary weeding and its associated benefits.
• Allow a minimum row spacing of 20 cm to use rotary weeder.
• Fill up the gaps between 7th and 10th DAT.

Management of Aged seedlings*
* Which developed tillers / underwent node elongation in the nursery itself and
* About half of its leaf producing capacity may be already over.

• Follow the spacing recommended to medium and low fertility soil
• Plant one or two seedlings per hill
• Avoid cluster planting of aged seedlings, which are hindering the formation of new tillers.
• New tillers alone are capable of producing normal harvestable panicle. Weak panicle may appear in the mother culm within three weeks after transplanting and vanishes well before harvest.
• To encourage the tiller production, enhance the basal N application by 50% from the recommended and thereafter follow the normal schedule recommended for other stages.

Gap filling

• Fill the gaps if any within 7 - 10 days after planting.