Paddy nursery preparation is an important step in rice cultivation, it involves the establishment of a seedbed where rice seeds are germinated and seedlings are grown, before transplanted into a main field.
Guide to paddy nursery preparation
1. Site Selection:
- The selected land for nursery raising must be well-drained and free from volunteers and weeds.
- The selected land for nursery raising should be free from shade.
- The selected land for nursery raising should be near to the irrigation source.
2. Land Preparation:
- The nursery area should be well-puddled and leveled a week before sowing it would be better to apply zinc sulphate @ 2kg and FYM 10-15 Kg for a one-acre nursery.
- Prepare the bed width 1.0M width, 15 cm height, and length as per field condition.
- Provide adequate fertilizer to nursery beds i.e. for each 100 sq. meter area of nursery bed, provide 1 kg Urea, 1.5 kg DAP, and 0.75 kg MOP at the time of sowing.
3. Layout and Size:
- To raise the healthy nursery for one acre we require 140-150 sq.m land or 14-15 sq.m per Kg.
4. Seed Selection and Water Management:
- Select high-quality seeds from good sources, which leads to good germination and vigor of seedlings.
- Soak 5 Kg. seed in 8 liters of water for 8-10 hours. Pre-germinate this wet seed by incubating it in warm moist conditions for 36-48 hours or until germination.
- Broadcast these pre-germinated seeds on drained beds at the rate of 1 Kg seed per 14-15 sq. meters. It is very important to sow the seed as mentioned above to get healthy seedlings. Dense sowing of seeds would lead to weaker seedlings.
- Keep the nursery beds moist, for the first few days. Do not flood the beds. When the seedlings are about 1 inch in height, keep the beds submerged in a shallow layer of water.
5. Weed Management:
- Swank (Echinocloa crusgalli) and some other annual grasses and sedges are the main problems in rice nurseries. To control the weed may apply “Butachlore” @ 30 ML per 100 sq.M / Top star after 3-5 days of broadcasting pre-germinated rice seed or Clincer/Nominee Gold as post-emergent at 2-3 leaf stage of weed or go for hand weeding.
- Use TOPSTAR – 2-5 g within 2-5 days after sowing/ Clincher – 2ml/lit water at 2-leaf stage of weed/ Nominee Gold– 0.5-1ml/lit at 2-leaf stage of weed.
6. Fertilization:
- Top dress the seed beds with 1 kg Urea and 1 kg 20:20 /100 sq. meter area, at the age of 15 days and one week if necessary apply 1 kg Urea .100 sqm.
Paddy nursery fertilizer for one acre:
- Apply 10-15Kg F.Y.M. 7-10 days before sowing.
- Apply 05-10 Kg S.S.P. 08-10 days before sowing.
- Apply 1 Kg Zinc sulphate /100 sqm 05-07 days before sowing.
Fertilizer schedule and dose per acre
| DOSE | Days after socking | UREA kg/acre | 20:20 kg/acre | M.O.P. kg/acre |
| Basal | 0 | – | 10.00 | 1.00 |
| Ist | 12 | 2.50 | 5.00 | – |
| IInd | 20 | 2.50 | – | – |
| Total | 5.00 | 15.00 | 1.00 |
7. Pest Control:
Paddy Nursery pest management
| Dose | DAS | Dose per acre |
| Ist | 12 | Furadan- 1 Kg |
| IInd | 18 | NATIVO – 15 g /SIVIC 15 g + Choloropyriphos 25 ml + Zinc Chilamin-15 g + Agromin / Liberal TMX -50g |
| IIIrd | 25 | NATIVO – 15 g /SAAF -25 g /Merger – 25 g +Choloropyriphos-25ml |
8. Transplantation:
- After 30-35 days, seedlings will be ready for transplanting. It would be better to transplant seeding at a young age below 35 days in Rabi and below 30 days in Kharif.
Also visit successful control of pests and diseases of rice, AI in agriculture, and seed industry, organic fertilizer, and biofertilizer, Indian agriculture export business step-by-step guide, and a One-year diploma in agriculture.
9. Paddy Nursery diseases:
Gall Midge
- The presence of silver shoot or “onion leaf” in the place of the central leaf is the prominent symptom.
- The symptoms appear from the nursery seedlings to the flowering stage.
- Infected tillers inhibit the growth of leaves and fail to produce panicles.
- Stunted plants and deformed, wilted, and rolled leaves.
Management:
- In nursery apply Carbofuran 3G / Regent 3 CG @ 1kg per acre, 7 days and 15 days after sowing.
- In the main field apply Carbofuran 3G @ 10kg/acre when infestation starts.
- Avoid late transplantation.
- Optimum recommendation of potash fertilizer.
- Spraying of Marshal (320-400ml/acre) and Regent (400-600ml/acre).
Cold Injury
- The common effects of cold injury during nursery will be low germination, slow growth of seedlings, leaf yellowing, and stunted growth characterized by reduced height.
