KisanKraft's Dry Direct Seeded Rice (DDSR) Technology
Problem: Rice is a staple food for half the world's population. 5,000 liters of water are required to produce 1kg of rice. Transplanted rice (TPR) accounts for 12% of global methane emissions, accelerates eutrophication & reduces nutrient use efficiency. Rice farming practices need to be updated to facilitate greater mechanization because of reduction in labour availability Solution: KisanKraft has developed new varieties of DDSR. DSR wasn’t successful because farmers were using the TPR varieties in DSR conditions which resulted in yield penalties. There was a need to develop varieties that were suitable for DDSR conditions. We are one of few organizations developing varieties of DDSR & machinery to manage weeds. DDSR varieties can be developed by crossing lines with the drought-tolerance & high yield. Our R&D started with collecting rice lines from various locations & then screening them for drought resistance & yield, using 3 methods: 1. ROOT STUDIES: Plants were sown in PVC pipes for root traits 2. FIELD STUDIES: Plants were grown in field for yield characters 3. MOLECULAR STUDIES: Marker Assisted Selection was done. Crosses were made after analysing the data. Resulting progenies were advanced till they become stable. This resulted in 15 varieties suitable for DDSR condition. Many more such varieties are in the pipeline. FARM MECHANIZATION: The newly developed attachment is a modification of the hoe cutter. The attachment was designed to be used between the rows of the DDSR. Further, other machines suitable for DDSR were made available to the farmers, like Seed drills, Sprayers, harvesters. This in turn resulted in increased farm efficiency. RESULTS: 1. New DDSR Varieties: Now, there are 15 varieties that are suitable for DDSR 2. Farm mechanization: The newly developed hoe cutter eased the problem of weed management in DDSR condition. The availability of whole range of farm machinery solutions increased farm efficiency 3. Water & labor saving: Reduced water use by 50-60%: No puddling, no nursery, no transplanting, no standing water at any stage of crop growth reduces water requirement. This also reduced labor requirement 4. Eco-friendly: Methane emission in this method of rice production is almost eliminated 5. Sustainability: No water outflow increases fertilizer use efficiency & eliminates eutrophication of water bodies. It also reduces the outbreak of pests & diseases, reducing pesticide consumption, making this a sustainable form of rice cultivation 6. Reduced seed rate: 8-10 kg seeds per acre compared to 25 kg per acre in TPR 7. Improved Soil Health: Crop rotation & Inter-cropping with pulses are possible. The absence of puddling preserves the soil structure. These improve soil health & fertility 8. Increased Income: Reduction in input costs & labour, reduces the cost of rice cultivation. These DDSR varieties yield like the TPR varieties. With reduced cost & the same yield, the overall profit of the farmer has increased significantly
Climate And Environmental Technologies
Technologies for the healthy environment
• We started R&D in 2017 and now these varieties are in the MLT stage across the different states of the country. These varieties will now be promoted and used by farmers until 2035. • This makes the overall duration of the project 17 years (2017-2035), from start of R&D to the end of commercial viability of the developed varieties.
The project has already been implemented in 14 Indian states. This technology is suitable for all locations where there is a water shortage for rice farming and where people are concerned about the methane emissions from TPR fields. We plan to extend the project to other states within India and into other countries, especially in the African continent as it has similar soil and climatic conditions, and rice farming is facing similar issues. KisanKraft has entered into an MoU with Ministry of Agriculture of the United Republic of Tanzania for various activities including promotion of our eco-friendly DDSR.
While there are many public and private organizations involved in developing rice varieties, very few are working on DSR technology. KisanKraft is one of the very few organizations that is developing and promoting varieties that are suitable for DDSR conditions. This gives us an edge in competing with other seed companies in the market. As a testament to this fact, KisanKraft has already entered into an agreement with two major Rice seed companies for this technology.
1. “KisanKraft joins World Bank’s low methane rice project in UP”, The Hindu Business Line, June 21, 2024 2. “KisanKraft develops 12 direct-seeded rice varieties, to take up multi-location trials in 14 states this year”, The Hindu Business Line, April 03, 2024 3. “KisanKraft expands into Africa, signs MoU with Tanzania”, The Hindu Business Line, July 19, 2024
• We have published a booklet explaining the R&D and package of practices for DDSR. There have been numerous research articles published in various scientific journals by institutes like IRRI, ICAR-IIRR, ICAR-NRRI, etc. • While we have 13 patents on our farm machines, we are currently in the process of final field testing before registering for IP rights for these varieties.
