PAU, NABARD initiate project to promote tarwattar direct-seeded rice

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have initiated a collaborative project to promote tar-wattar Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in the state. The two-year NABARD sponsored project focuses on capacity building of farmers on this technique through training and demonstrations at farmers’ fields in 12 districts of the state for creating awareness. The move, in a way, will help to up-scaling the shift toward water-saving techniques for saving precious natural resources of the state. Tar-wattar DSR is a novel technique developed and recommended by PAU in 2020 to reduce water footprints in rice cultivation. In this technique, pre-sowing irrigation is applied and primed seed is sown in a tar-wattar field preferably using Lucky Seed Drill. A shift from puddle transplanting to DSR saves 15-20 per cent of irrigation water, offers 1015 per cent of higher ground-water recharge, saves labour and provides 250 kg/ha higher wheat grain yield.