Dry direct seeded rice emerged as viable option based on energetics and economics- Experiences from middle gangati-plains of Bihar, India

In the Indo-Gangetic plain of India, rice (Oryza sativa) is grown in around 60–70% of cultivated land. Therefore, finding an energy-efficient approach for rice establishment techniques is crucial for environmental sustainability and food security. In order to determine the most effective rice establishment techniques for increasing productivity, profitability, energy efficiency, and cost effectiveness, the performance of three crop establishment methods-Manual Transplanting (MT), Dry Direct Seeded (Dry DSR), and Wet Direct Seeded (Wet DSR)- was evaluated in the field at Samastipur District of Bihar in the years 2021–2022. Results revealed that Dry DSR recorded significantly higher grain yield as compared to MT and Wet DSR. The Dry DSR and MT method of rice cultivation produced 35.15% and 18.2% higher grain yield as compared to Wet DSR, respectively. Energy input was the highest in manual transplanted rice (20637 MJ ha⁻¹) and the lowest in dry DSR (12752 MJ ha⁻¹). HI is highest in Dry DSR (50%), followed by MT (44%) and Wet DSR (23.1%). The Dry DSR method was the most energy-efficient whereas wet DSR was the least energy efficient. Similarly, the gross returns ( 110,940 ha⁻¹), net returns ( 79,390 ha⁻¹) and benefit: cost ratio (3.51) was recorded significantly highest under Dry DSR. Among all crop establishment methods, the Wet DSR recorded least profit. Hence, the existing farmer’s practices can be profitably replaced with adoption of Dry DSR methods of crop establishment under Indo-Gangetic plain.

⓿ Dry direct-seeded rice has superior energy and carbon production efficiencies without dipping economic benefits.