DIRECT SEEDED RICE VERSUS NORMAL TRANSPLANTED RICE: AN ECONOMIC COMPARISON

The present study was designed to analyze and compare the direct seeded rice (DSR) vis-a-vis normal transplanted rice (NTR) and to assess saving of ground water, production costs and productivity by DSR over the NTR in Punjab during 2011-12 and 2012-13. The study exhibited that during seed bed preparation and transplantation, DSR techniques saved '2400 per acre over NTR. However, the expenses on weedicides and micronutrients were higher by '730 per acre in the case of DSR over NTR. Further, the DSR technique resulted in saving of about 33 and 41 per cent irrigations in basmati and coarse grain paddy varieties, respectively. While adopting the DSR technique, the yield of coarse grain varieties of rice such as PR 118 and Pusa 44 decreased from 1.67 to 6.67 per cent. The corresponding figures in the case of Pusa 1121 were 0 to 3.03 per cent over the respective varieties planted conventionally. Overall with the adoption of DSR technique, the Pusa 1121 and PR 118/Pusa 44 varieties gave additional returns of '2070 and '2750 per acre, respectively, over the normal transplantation of above said varieties.