Direct seeded rice (DSR) has become prominent due to advancements in technology and pressing issues like labor and water scarcity, offering both adaptation and mitigation benefits against climate change. DSR involves sowing seeds directly into the field, potentially increasing yields, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving resources compared to traditional puddled transplanted rice (PTR). Challenges for DSR in Bangladesh include optimal sowing windows and weed management, requiring farmers to adapt practices and choose suitable varieties for success.

1. Direct-Seeded
Rice Technology
Sharif Ahmed, PhD
Postdoctoral-fellow
International Rice Research Institute
s.ahmed@irri.org
Date: 22 April 2024
Venue: BRAC CDM, Gazipur

2. DSR is not a new technology but advancements/upgrading in technology (variety,
machinery, and weed management, etc.) and various drivers (water, labor, and
climate change) forces have brought this technology to the forefront.
DSR: Is it a new technology?
Direct Seeded Rice (DSR): Rice production/establishment in the main
field directly from seed instead of seedling

3. Traditional DSR Vs Modern DSR
Factors Traditional DSR Modern DSR
Variety Local/traditional HYV/hybrid/special DSR
Sowing Manual broadcast Seeding device
Tillage Full tillage Zero/strip/full tillage, puddling
Irrigation Rainfed/surface water
Full irrigation, partial irrigation, ground
water
Weed
management
No weeding, manual weeding , cultural
practices
Chemical/herbicide and mechanical
Harvesting Manually Manually or mechanically
Yield 1-3 tonnes 4-8 tonnes
Labor No issue Labor save
Global warming No issue Potential to reduce GHG

4. Widely used rice production method:
manual transplanting of seedlings into
puddled fields (intensive tillage in wet
conditions)
Puddled Transplanted rice (PTR)

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Labor, water and energy intensive production
system
PTR
Deep wet tillage
Leveling
Seed bed
Seedling uprooting
Transplanting

6. Alternate Rice Establishment Methods
Mechanical rice transplanting Manual broadcasting
Wet -direct seeding
Dry-direct seeding in line

7. Saves labor
Up to 60%
(Addresses:Labor scarcity)
Saves water
Up to 50%
(Addresses: Water scarcity)
Reduces GHG emission
Up to 60%
(Addresses: Climate change)
Increases income by
reducing cost of cultivation
[Addresses: Rising cultivation
cost and declining income]
Positive impact on
succeeding non-rice crop
[Creates enabling condition for
diversification]
DSR offers both adaptation (adapt to water shortage) and mitigation (reduction in GHG
emissions) options to climate change
Benefits of DSR over puddled transplanted rice
Direct Seeded
rice

8. ❖ Sowing windows
Boro – low temperature is an issue
Challenges for DSR (Bangladesh)

9. ❖ Sowing windows
Aman –late seeding higher risk of:
- Inability to sow (soil too wet)
- failed establishment because of heavy rain after sowing
⮚ earlier seeding less risky but higher irrigation requirement
Challenges for DSR (Bangladesh)

10. Risk
Solutions
Trade-off
Solution AG-tolerant varieties
not available to
farmers

11. Pre-sowing Irrigation
Shallow cultivation at field capacity
Soil Mulch DSR
Machine Seeding after tillage
Delay first irrigation up to 21 days

12. ▪ aus rice is practiced about 8-10% of the country’s total
rice area
▪ The lack of early season rainfall in the aus season
enables farmers to practice direct seeding
Dry-direct seeded Aus

13. ❖ Weed management
Farmers need
specific information
on herbicide

14. ❖Seeding device

15. ❖ Suitable variety for DSR
⮚ Cold tolerant during early growth stage (boro)
⮚ Tolerance of anaerobic conditions during
germination (aman)
⮚ Early seedling vigour
⮚ Short duration (inbred/hybrid)
⮚ Weed competitive ability

16. ❖ Knowledge on management practices

17. ⮚ to identify the appropriate landscape position for
DSR in aus season
⮚ to quantify the impact of DSR on yield, profitability,
energy use and GWP
⮚ to identify the suitable rice varieties for DSR
CSISA’s experience on Aus DSR

18. Treatments:
Establishment method:
▪ Machine seeding with power-tiller operated seeder (PTOS)
▪ Broadcast seeding by hand
▪ Manual transplanting in puddled soil
Landscape position:
▪ High land
▪ Medium highland
▪ Low land
Varieties: BRRI dhan83, BRRI dhan85, Binadhan-19
Trial Period: Aus 2019, Aus 2020 and Aus 2021
Location: Jhenaidah, Faridpur, and Dinajpur

19. Fig. Grain yield of of Aus rice
Faridpur
Jhenaidah
Dinajpur
Results and Discussion

20. Fig. Human labor used Fig. Total production cost Fig. Global warming potential

21. 0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
Grain yield
Human labor
Production cost
Energy use efficiency
Specific energy
Energy productivity
Global warming
potential
Yield-scaled emissions
Growth duration
Drill seeding Broadcasting Transplanting
Fig. Multi-criteria assessment of DSR and PTR

22. Summary
❖ DSR had a similar or slightly lower yield than the puddled
transplanted rice (PTR), but lower labor use, lower production cost,
and higher net income indicate DSR is a resource-conserving
technology.
❖ The DSR demonstrated higher energy use efficiency and higher
energy productivity as well as lower global warming potential and
lower yield-scaled emissions than the PTR indicating DSR is a
climate-smart technology.
❖ DSR had a higher yield variability compared to PTR, indicating that
DSR requires more attention to management practices.

23. CSISA’s DSR workshop outcomes

24. Thanks to
All