SEC | S20W2: How to cultivate a paddy

Hello friends, on this occasion I would like to take a course related to how to plant rice, about two years ago I tried to go down directly to plant rice, of course I have a lot of knowledge on this topic. Of course, the methods I describe below are traditional methods because there are still few technological tools in our area.

The first step when I want to make a rice nursery I choose the location closest to the water source, then I fill the entire nursery with water for a few days so that all the weeds die and the soil is easy to turn over.

Then after a few days I remove all the stagnant water, then I apply a little fertilizer and I start to turn over all the soil so that the soil becomes loose. Then I will level the whole soil so that there is no more stagnant water.

The next step I make several beds that are about 1 meter in size and length according to my needs. Each bed is separated by a small ditch so that it is easy to drain the water.

I took a large piece of wood and then leveled the beds neatly and smoothly, the things that need to be considered when making these beds are not to let water stagnate in the beds because it can cause the death of the planted seeds.

When the beds are finished, I sow the rice seeds that have sprouted in the beds that have been made. For your information, it is very important to choose superior rice seeds so that the harvest can be maximized. I usually buy superior rice seeds, although they are expensive, but they can provide maximum yields.

Then I soak the rice seedlings in water for 24 hours. I will discard floating rice seeds because they are a sign that the seeds are not of good quality, while rice seeds that sink are a sign that the seeds are of good quality.

After soaking for 24 hours, the rice seedlings are drained and stored in sacks in a humid place, every 20 hours I will check again and water them with water so that the temperature is maintained, for two days the sprouts will grow and be ready for sowing.

The first step is very important to check the pH of the soil, land that often uses chemical fertilizers usually the soil PH will decrease. So make sure the soil is neutral with a pH between 5 and 7.

The next step is to fill the entire field with water, we get our water source for rice planting through irrigation. When the water has inundated the entire field I can repair the leaking rice fields, with this I ensure that no more water comes out of the rice fields. This is to kill all the weeds and other plants that have grown.

After a few days, I hire the services of people to plow the land using a plowing machine, because using human labor takes a very long time and is more expensive.

After the land has been plowed, I sprinkle in some phosphorus fertilizer (SP36).

Over the next few days I continue to water the field until it is time to plow the land for the second time. In the second plowing the soil must be loose and evenly distributed.

After completing this second plowing, the rice is ready to be planted, pull out the rice seedlings in the nursery after 20 or 25 days of age, then move the planting to a new location.

Water is the main resource in growing rice, in my area we get water through irrigation which is available at certain times only, so when water is available it is appropriate to plant immediately. So it is very important to plant rice seeds at the right time so that the rice can grow and develop so that the harvest can be optimized.

Some pests and diseases appear at certain times, understanding the right planting time can avoid the risk of rice plants being attacked by certain diseases and unwanted pests.

In addition, the right planting time is believed to increase crop yields, just imagine if you plant rice during the rainy season, this can make the entire plant die if the rice plant is drowned by rain.

Rice plants need water as their main resource, so make sure they can always absorb water. However, too much water can make the rice plants drown and difficult to grow. I usually use rice field bunds to drain water evenly to certain fields.

There are three main fertilizers that I often use when growing rice, namely Urea fertilizer, sp36 and Potassium Fertilizer.

As I have mentioned earlier, I have done the first fertilization using SP 36 fertilizer during tillage.

Then after the rice seeds are planted or precisely after the age of 20-30 days after transplanting then I will sprinkle Urea fertilizer, this fertilizer is very useful for stimulating growth.

Then when the rice is 45-50 days after transplanting, I sprinkle Urea and Potassium fertilizers. With a percentage of Urea fertilizer as much as 25% and potassium fertilizer as much as 75%. At this age, rice needs more potassium fertilizer in order to produce maximum weight.

Rice age 65 days after transplanting	Rice age 95 days and ready to wait for harvest

• 🐛 🐭 🌿Pests are one that can interfere with the growth of rice plants, the most disturbing pests of rice plants such as rats, snails, weeds, and stem borer caterpillars. The control method is also very easy, there are lots of medicines sold in agricultural stores that can eradicate these pests. The medicine just needs to be sprayed on the rice plants so that the pests that disturb them immediately die or leave.

• 🌾 The main diseases of rice plants include Blast (Pyricularia oryzae), Bacterial Leaf Blight (Xanthomonas oryzae), Tungro, and Brown Leaf Spot (Helminthosporium oryzae), how to control is also very easy because there are lots of medicines in agricultural stores that are sold to overcome various types of plant diseases, therefore I always use superior rice seeds so that rice plants are not susceptible to disease.

The best step I often take to prevent pests and diseases in rice plants is to always take precautions at the beginning, every time before sowing fertilizer I always spray so that rice is protected from pests and diseases. This is so that when the fertilizer is sown it can be immediately absorbed by the rice plants.

Usually, after harvesting, I sell the rice grains directly to collectors, but I only keep a few as stock for daily meals at home.

The harvesting process is usually done using a machine, so we just receive clean unhulled rice that is ready to be sold. However, if you want to preserve it, there are several steps that need to be taken.

• First, dry the paddy at a hot temperature so that the water content decreases.

• Second, use clean and airtight sacks.

• Third, store the rice grain in a dry place with good air circulation, maintain the room temperature and make sure it is not exposed to sunlight.

Thus this article, I hope it is useful and inspires all who read it.I also invite you to participate in this contest. @m-fdo @saintkelvin17 @kouba01 @jyoti-thelight

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