Organic Basmati Rice - Nutrient management

Poor nursery is a major problem under organic mode due to various nutrient deficiencies and poor growth of seedlings. To have optimum growth of seedlings following nutrient management practices should be followed.

•  Application of 25 kg FYM, 1kg rock phosphate and 100 g ZnSO₄ / 10 m² is recommended for raising nursery. In addition to this, if zinc deficiency is observed in nursery, 2 sprays of ZnSO₄ (0.5%) + lime (0.25%) in water at 10 and 20 days after sowing is recommended.

Spacing: Under good management and adequate nitrogen levels, the optimum spacing should be around 20x10 cm². With excellent cultural practices, the spacing may be slightly wider, say 20x15 cm² but under sub-normal conditions, the spacing should be slightly narrower i.e.15x10 cm².

Number of Seedlings per Hill:   Transplanting two to three seedlings per hill under normal conditions is enough. The use of more seedlings per hill, besides not being any additional advantage, involves an extra expense on seedlings. In case of transplanting with old seedlings, the number of seedlings per hill can be increased.

Depth of Planting and Directions of Rows:    The tiller buds formed at the basal node are not suppressed in case of shallow plantings. Therefore, the seedlings should be transplanted at 2 to 3 cm depth.

Nutrient Management

Nutrient management is one of the important components of organic rice cultivation. All the nutrients have to be supplied from organic sources with exceptions like ZnSO₄, Rock Phosphate for P and lime. About 90-120 kg N, 40-60 Kg P₂O₅ and 40 kg K₂O seems to be sufficient depending on the type of cultivars of organic rice. Most of the organic sources which could be utilized for the fulfillment of N needs can meet the requirement for P and K.