In El Niño year, direct seeded rice finds traction with farmers

📌 Summary:

• Context: in an El Niño year with the monsoon 24.1% below normal (June-Sept, till July 5), water and labour scarcity are pushing farmers toward Direct Seeded Rice (DSR)

• Traditional paddy cultivation (puddling + transplanting) is highly water-intensive: puddling alone uses water equal to three irrigations; total irrigations run 20-30, each using over 200,000 litres per acre; transplanting labour costs Rs 4,000-5,000 per acre and is increasingly scarce

• How DSR works: seeds are sown directly in the field like wheat, dispensing with nurseries, uprooting/transplanting, and puddling/flooding; it replaces water (which acts as a natural weed suppressant) with chemical herbicides

• The enabling technology: herbicide-tolerant (HT) basmati varieties — Pusa Basmati-1985 and 1979 — that "tolerate" the herbicide Imazethapyr, unlike the widely grown Pusa-1509 and 1121 which the chemical would kill along with weeds

• Science: HT varieties were developed via non-GM mutation breeding by altering the naturally present ALS (acetolactate synthase) gene — NOT by introducing foreign genes (unlike Bt cotton or GM mustard); Imazethapyr normally binds the ALS enzyme, blocking synthesis of essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), but the mutated gene resists this

• Significance: DSR conserves water and labour, aligning with sustainable agriculture goals, especially valuable in deficit-monsoon/El Niño years

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — water-use efficiency in agriculture, sustainable cropping, agricultural technology and mutation breeding; climate-resilient farming amid El Niño

📝 Prelims Facts:

• DSR (Direct Seeded Rice): paddy sown directly like wheat, no puddling/transplanting; uses herbicide instead of standing water for weed control
• HT basmati varieties Pusa Basmati-1985 and 1979 tolerate the herbicide Imazethapyr; bred by IARI via non-GM mutation of the ALS gene
• ALS (acetolactate synthase) gene codes for an enzyme synthesising leucine, isoleucine and valine in plants
• Each conventional paddy irrigation uses over 2 lakh litres per acre

🔑 Key Term: Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) — a water- and labour-saving paddy method where seeds are sown directly into the field, eliminating puddling, nurseries and transplantation