Guidelines for Dry Seeded Rice (DSR): in the Terai and Mid Hills of Nepal

Abstract

Dry seeded rice (DSR) is becoming an attractive option for farmers as it has a much lower labor requirement and establishment cost than manually transplanted rice. Labor for transplanting rice has become scarce and costly because laborers are shifting from agriculture to industry, public works, and overseas employment. DSR can be readily adopted by small farmers as well as large farmers, provided that the required machinery is locally available (e.g., through custom hire). Best practice involves using a 2- or 4-wheel tractor-drawn drill to seed in rows in nontilled or dry tilled soil, as for wheat. Because the soil is not puddled, DSR also has a lower water requirement for crop establishment.