Vol. 10, Issue 5 (2021)

Author(s):
Shrinivas CS, N Krishnamurthy and Vemaraju Ala

Abstract:
Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food for more than half of the population of the world. The productivity and sustainability of rice-based systems are threatened by the inefficient use of inputs (fertilizer, water, and labour), increasing scarcity of resources, especially water and labour; climate variability, emerging energy crisis and rising fuel prices, rising cost of cultivation and emerging socio-economic changes such as urbanization, migration of labour, preference for nonagricultural work, and concerns about farm-related pollution. Method of establishment influences the performance of rice through its effect on growth and development. At transplanting time, acute labor shortage results in increased labor wages and delay in the transplanting operation. Manual transplanting also results in a non-uniform and inadequate seedling population. These problems necessitated the introduction of mechanized rice transplanting to achieve timely planting and better crop stands.