Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding

As water scarcity becomes a more pervasive agricultural constraint, any intervention to limit the water requirements in rice cultivation will enhance the overall sustainability and food security in the face of climate change. System of rice intensification (SRI) is a methodology for increasing the rice productivity using reduced inputs, including seeds and chemical fertilizers, and water requirements and has a potential for climate change mitigation through avoiding flooded conditions on rice fields which brings down methane emissions from rice cultivation. It also enhances the resilience of rice cultivation systems against climate risks as it generates healthier and more robust rice plants with deep and more vigorous root systems. Field experiment was conducted during wet season (June-November) 2011 to assess the rice productivity and water usages of a Basmati rice varieties viz., Basmati 370, Ranbir Basmati, Basmati 564, Sanwaal Basmati, Toraori Basmati and Nagina 22 (N22) under SRI and conventional transplanted (CTP) methods of rice cultivation. Among the different rice production methods, system of rice cultivation (SRI) produced significantly higher grain yield (3850 to 5200 kg ha-1) than the transplanted rice (3650 to 5000 kg ha-1). Total water productivity of the SRI was 19.3% higher with saving of 25% irrigation water as compared to conventional method. Among genotypes N 22 had the highest per day productivity (45.02), followed by Basmati 564 (41.60) and Sanwaal Basmati (37.54). This also helps to reduce the water requirement and facilitates to avoid water stress specially rice grown in tail end areas.