Mangal Deep Tuti

Phosphorus (P) deficiency remains one of the most critical factors restricting rice yield in India, with popular cultivars like MTU‐1121 particularly vulnerable to low‐P soils. To enhance P‐use efficiency while retaining the preferred grain and agronomic features of MTU‐1121, the OsPSTOL1 gene located within the Pup1 QTL was introgressed using marker‐assisted backcross breeding (MABB). Swarna (MTU‐7029), a high‐yielding variety possessing the Pup1 QTL, served as the donor parent. Foreground selection for Pup1 was conducted across F ₁ , BC ₁ F ₁ and BC ₂ F ₁ generations using functional markers K20‐2 _BspE1 and K46‐1. Background selection with 75 parental polymorphic SSR markers, combined with phenotype‐based selection, facilitated rapid recovery of the recurrent parent genome. A promising near‐isogenic line, WGL‐1487 [IET 28818 (RP 6317‐S35‐BC ₂ F ₄ ‐49‐25‐6‐21)], was identified at the BC ₂ F ₅ stage. WGL‐1487 was evaluated under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Rice (AICRPR) during the 2019 and 2021 wet seasons across P‐deficient and P‐sufficient environments. It consistently outperformed MTU‐1121 under low‐P conditions, demonstrating superior P‐use efficiency while maintaining comparable plant type, yield attributes and grain quality traits. The line exhibited 98.60% recurrent‐parent genome (RPG) recovery while retaining the target Pup1 locus and its medium‐slender grain type with desirable quality parameters, including 71.6% head rice recovery, 25.25% amylose content, 47‐mm gel consistency and an alkali spreading value of 7.0. Now released as Telangana Vari‐8, this variety serves as a suitable replacement for MTU‐1121 in P‐deficient ecologies. The variety has the potential to reduce phosphorus fertilizer requirements and improve productivity under phosphorus‐deficient conditions, thereby contributing to enhanced profitability for farmers.

One of the major causes of low nitrogen use efficiency in rice is the application of fertilizer nitrogen (N) more than crop requirement at times when it is not required by plant during late sown conditions. This experiment was conducted at Rajendranagar farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad during kharif2021. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. Main plots consisted of three short duration rice varieties DRR Dhan-44, MTU 1010, MTU 1156 and four nitrogen management practices (sub-plots) recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) @ 120 kg N ha-1, Silicon coated urea (SCU) @ 90 kg ha-1, Leaf Colour Chart based N application (LCC)@105 kg N ha-1, Soil test crop response based N application (STCR) @ 114.5 kg N ha-1. Among the varieties highest energy input (13.22 GJ ha-1) was recorded in DRR Dhan-44 but energy output (172.6 GJ ha-1) and energy use efficiency (10.26 GJ ha-1) were recorded in MTU 1156. Among the N management practices highest energy input (13.94 GJ ha-1) was recorded in RDN@ 120 kg N ha-1 and energy use efficiency (10.38 GJ ha-1) was recorded with Leaf colour chart based N application@105 kg Nha-1

Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification in India and elsewhere focused mainly on its impacts on yield and income, and usually covered just one or two seasons. Researchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research have conducted a more comprehensive evaluation of SRI methods over six years (six wet and six dry seasons), comparing them with three alternatives: modified, partially mechanized SRI (MSRI) to reduce labor requirements; direct-seeded rice (DSR) as an alternative method for growing rice; and conventional transplanting of rice with flooding of fields (CTF). Grain yield with SRI methods was found to be about 50% higher than with CTF (6.35 t ha⁻¹ vs. 4.27 t ha⁻¹), while the MSRI yield was essentially the same (6.34 t ha⁻¹), 16% more than with DSR (5.45 t ha⁻¹). Water productivity with SRI methods was 5.32–6.85 kg ha-mm⁻¹, followed by 4.14–5.72 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for MSRI, 5.06–5.11 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for DSR, and 3.52–4.56 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for CTF. In comparison with CTF, SRI methods significantly enhanced soil microbial populations over time: bacteria by 12%, fungi by 8%, and actinomycetes by 20%. Biological activity in the rhizosphere was also higher as indicated by 8.5% greater dehydrogenase and 16% more FDA enzymes in soil under SRI management. Similarly, an indicator of soil organic matter, glucosidase activity, was 78% higher compared to CTF. SRI enhanced the relative abundance of beneficial microbial-feeding nematodes by 7.5% compared to CTF, while that of plant-pathogenic nematodes was 7.5% lower under SRI. Relative to conventional methods, SRI management reduced GHG emissions by 21%, while DSR reduced them by 23%, and MSRI by 13%, compared to standard rice-growing practice. Economic analysis showed both gross and net economic returns to be higher with SRI than with the other management systems evaluated. While the six-year study documented many advantages of SRI crop management, it also showed that MSRI is a promising adaptation that provides similar benefits but with lower labor requirements.

Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification in India and elsewhere have mainly fo-cused on its impact on yield and income and have usually covered just one or two seasons. Re-searchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research conducted a more comprehensive evalua-tion of SRI methods over six years (six wet and six dry seasons), comparing these methods with three other rice crop management systems: modified, partially mechanized SRI (MSRI); direct-seeded rice (DSR); and normal transplanting with inundated fields (NTP). SRI grain yield was found to be about 50% higher than with NTP (6.35 t ha-1 vs 4.27 t ha-1), while the MSRI yield was essentially the same (6.34 t ha-1) and 16% higher than with DSR (5.45 t ha-1). Compared to NTP, SRI methods significantly enhanced soil microbial populations over time, bacteria by 12%, fungi by 8%, and actinomycetes by 20%. Indicators of biological activity in the rhizosphere were also higher, dehydrogenase by 8.5% and FDA enzymes by 16%. Glucosidase activity, an indicator of soil organic matter, was 78% higher. Relative to normal transplanting methods, SRI reduced GHG emissions by 21%, while DSR reduced them by 23% and MSRI by 13%, which indicated pos-itive effects of the alternate and improved methods over normal transplanting. Economic analy-sis showed that both gross and net economic returns to be higher with SRI than with MSRI and the other management systems evaluated. While the six-year study documented many ad-vantages of SRI crop management, the MSRI version evaluated is a promising adaptation that provide similar benefits but with lower labor requirements.

Integrated management of rice–maize systems is an emerging challenge in southern India due to improper rice residues and tillage management in maize crops. Conservation agriculture (CA) practices such as a reduced tillage and maintaining stubble mulch may hold the potential to increase yields, reduce crop establishment costs and increase farm incomes. A five-year trial was performed to study the effect of different CA and establishment methods in rice on system productivity, profitability, and soil carbon status in a rice–maize system. In the rainy season, the trial consisted of two main treatments: (i) normal manual transplanting and (ii) direct-wet seeding, and three sub-main treatments at different sowing dates with fifteen day intervals. In addition, in the winter season, two tillage treatments (conventional and minimum tillage) were imposed over the rainy season treatments. Both rice and maize were grown under irrigated conditions. The results showed that sowing times at 15 day intervals did not impact the yield significantly. Transplanted rice obtained a significantly higher grain yield during the first four years, but in the last year, the yield was similar in both of the establishment methods. In the winter season, conventional tilled maize recorded a higher cob yield than under the minimum tilled treatment, except for the last year, where both the tillage treatment effects were the same. System productivity of CA-based minimum tilled rice–maize was inferior during the first three years but was superior to the conventionally tilled method in the fourth and fifth year. Pooled analysis revealed that the conventionally tilled rice–maize system resulted in a similar system productivity as that of the CA during the study period. The cost–benefit analysis revealed that transplanted rice and conventionally tilled maize fetched higher net returns of INR 111,074 and INR 101,658/ha, respectively, over the direct-wet seeded rice and CA. In addition, the 15 July rice sown followed by the maize system led to an increase in irrigation water productivity by 15.7%, and the total water (irrigation + rainfall) productivity by 27.1% in the maize crop compared with the 30 July sown system. The CA-based rice–maize system resulted in a significantly higher very labile (0.194%) and labile (0.196%) carbon concentration at a 0–5 cm depth of soil compared to those under the conventional system. Thus, CA can be recommended for southern India and similar agro-ecological tropic and sub-tropic conditions. This system can be followed with appropriate location-specific modification in South-Asian countries, where crop yields and soil health are declining as a result of continuous cereal–cereal crop rotation.

There is a close relationship among agriculture, economics, energy and the environment. A comparison was made between conventional and the system of rice intensification (SRI) methods of rice cultivation by conducting two experiments. One field experiment was conducted from 2013 to 2017 at 25 locations across India under the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project and another experiment was conducted in 2017 using surveys by collecting data from 262 randomly selected SRI farmers using a personal interview method in the Telangana state of India. The 5-year experimental data revealed that the SRI method of cultivation produced higher rice grain yield (up to 55%) compared to the conventional transplanting method. Survey data revealed that total costs of rice production reduced by 22.71% under SRI. Break even output under SRI was reduced by 58.1%. Adoption of SRI saved total energy inputs by 4350 MJ/ha. The energy productivities were 0.16 kg/MJ and 0.21 kg/MJ for conventional and SRI methods, respectively. Also, SRI resulted the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of 0.280 kg CO₂e/kg rice grain. Therefore, for ensuring higher productivity, net returns, energy efficiency and sustainable rice production it is recommended to adopt an environmentally friendly SRI method of crop establishment in the Telangana region of India.