Dry-seeded rice (DSR) is becoming an attractive option for farmers as it has a much lower labor requirement than manually transplanted rice. In this technology, rice is directly seeded in the main plot with 2- or 4-wheel tractor/power tiller-drawn seed drills. DSR can be readily adopted by small farmers as well as large farmers, provided that the required machinery is locally available (e.g., through custom hire).

DSR has a lower water requirement for crop establishment as puddling is not required in this method. The soil in DSR remains aerobic most of the time in the season which reduces methane emission. 

Further reading

• Direct seeding

• DSR in Bangladesh

• Guidelines for dry-seeded rice in the Terai and mid-hills of Nepal

• Direct-seeded rice (dry and wet)

• Difference between dry seeded rice (DSR) and aerobic rice

• Increasing productivity of direct-seeded rice areas by incorporating genes for tolerance of anaerobic conditions during germination

• Dry-seeded rice shows promise

• Direct dry-seeded rice production technology (video)