Rice Farming Guide for 2022 - Safi Sarvi Organic Fertilizer

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We have a team of agronomists around the country willing to offer their expertise to farmers looking to increase their income.

A Comprehensive Guide to Rice Farming in 2022

Rice farming was first introduced in the country in 1907. Today it is one of the country’s most important cash crops per capita consumption. It is estimated that more than 300,000 metric tons of rice are consumed yearly. However, despite the increase in consumption, the country still has to import from foreign nations such as India and Pakistan.

This is because the country produces around 80,000 metric tons of rice which is way below the required market demand. If rice farmers in the country do not increase their rice output, the government will continue to import more rice, which will drain our foreign reserves. According to statistics, Kenya’s annual rice consumption rate increases by 12% yearly.

How to Prepare Land for Rice Farming

The first thing you need to do is to figure out a suitable agroecological zone. In Kenya, rice farming is mostly done in irrigation schemes such as Mwea, Ahero, Bura, and Bunyala.

If a rice farm depends on rainfall, the land should be prepared before the rains begin. At a minimum, the land should be plowed at least once and harrowed at least twice. If the farm is irrigated, the land should be flooded with water to a depth of 10 cm and then cultivated by a tractor equipped with a rotavator.

A rotavator is a machine used to dig and aerate the soil before seeding. The field should also be clear of weeds, and this can be done by using a non-selective herbicide. Before using a rotavator, the farmer must ensure that the land has manure. To protect the land from degrading, farmers should use organic fertilizer.

One of the best organic rice fertilizer that you can use is Safi Sarvi. Safi Sarvi is a carbon-free fertilizer that has been proven to increase farmers’ income by 50%. Safi Sarvi can do this because its chemical composition increases rice yields by upto 30%.

Nutrients such as Zinc, potassium, and calcium should be added to the soil before seedlings are planted. Twenty-one days after sowing, the farmer should add two bags of nitrogen fertilizer. After 45 days of sowing, additional fertilizer should be added per acre. Farmers should use a leaf color chart to identify nutrient deficiencies in rice.

Flooding and Pudding the Rice Farm

After adding organic fertilizer, the farm should be flooded for 2-3 days while ensuring the water is 3 centimeters deep. Pudding is crucial because it helps increase nutrients and eradicate weeds that can be problematic during the growing phase. For best results, puddling should be done at least 14 days before the transplant.

How to choose a Suitable Rice Seed Variety

There are two main things that every farmer should consider when choosing a suitable seed variety. The first is the prevalent diseases in the area. So why is this important? Let us assume that the rice yellow mortal virus has been found in neighboring farms. If this is the case, it is in the farmer’s interest to find a yellow mortal virus-resistant seed variety.

Another critical factor to consider is the marketability of the seed variety. Processors do not like some seed varieties because they break during processing. Farmers should consider the grain quality, such as taste, shape, and aroma. Other factors to consider when selecting a suitable rice seed breed are:

The yield potential
The growth duration of the seed
Its resistance to abiotic stresses such as floods and droughts
The tiller capacity of the chosen seed breed

Komboka Rice Seed Variety

One of the latest seed varieties in the market is the Komboka seed variety. This seed variety was introduced due to collaborative efforts between the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation {KALRO} and International Rice Research Institute {IRRI}. This variety was introduced in late 2020, with a yield potential of 28 bags per acre.

Other food varieties in the country include Sindano, Basmati370, and Basmati 217. Sindano should not be planted on land that the Rice Yellow Mottle virus had previously infected. Basmati varieties are highly susceptible to stem borers and blast disease.

How to Know a Good Seed Variety

If you buy seeds from an agro vet, you need to determine if they are viable so that you dont incur losses. The best way to do this is to do a germination test. A germination test is done by selecting 100 random seeds and then nurturing them in an artificial environment to see if they will grow.

To carry out the test, put 100 seeds on a moistened newspaper or carbonized risk husk and let them stay for ten days. After ten days, the seeds will have started to sprout. The farmer will then have to count how many seeds sprouted, and if the germination rate is below 90%, the seed variety is not suitable for planting.

Rice Farming Nurseries

Around five types of rice, nurseries can be used. The first nursery is a wet-bed nursery. A wet bed nursery is suitable for use in lowland irrigated areas. Here, the nursery is established in an easy-to-irrigate piece of land prepared 14 days before planting. Organic fertilizer is then added to the nursery, with a width of around 1M and a height of 5 cm. The length of the nursery will depend on the number of seedlings to be transplanted.

The seeds should be pre-germinated in the nursery for at least two days before they are planted. The pre-germination process involves soaking the seeds for 24 hours and incubating them for a similar period. To transplant on a one-hectare piece of land, 50 kgs of pre-germinated seeds will have to be sown on a 500-meter squared piece of the seedbed.

Hymeric Nurseries

Hymeric nurseries use carbonized rice husks to nurture the seeds instead of soil. Biochar is preferred, mainly where seeds will be broadcasted. Broadcasting is advantageous in the sense that it minimizes labor costs. When Bio-char is used, they should be pregerminated for 5 -10 days.

Hymeric nurseries are ideal for use when planting wheat varieties such as NERICA. It is, however, important to note that this method can result in low germination rates when growing the Basmati 370 seed variety.

Bubble Tray Nurseries

If bubble trays are used, the required seed rate will be 20 kgs per hectare. The seedlings are usually raised on plastic trays that have 434 holes for the seedlings. Bubble trays should be puddled in well-decomposed soils.

Seeding/Sowing of Rice Seeds

Seeding is the process of sowing seeds on the ground for them to germinate. Several seeding methods can be used. One of these methods is the direct seeding method. Direct seeding is advantageous because it reduces labor costs.

This method is suitable where the land is leveled, saturated, and has furrows to drain excess water. Other advantages of direct seeding are:

Less labor will be required
Crop tends to mature at least 7 -10 days earlier
It is cheaper
Crops produce less methane

Another seeding method is transplanting. Farmers should avoid elongated sprouted seeds when transplanting rice seeds because they grow slowly and tend to break easily. Shallow transplanting should be done at recommended depths of 2 centimeters. The best spacing should be 20 by 20 cm.

This method is suitable where the land is levelled, saturated, and has furrows to drain excess water. Other advantages of direct seeding are:

Less labor will be required
Crop tends to mature at least 7 -10 days earlier
It is cheaper
Crops produce less methane

Water Management Tips for Rice Farming

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization {FAO}, agriculture is a major casualty of water scarcity. This is because agriculture consumes up to 70% of all water withdrawals in the world. If the water becomes scarce, agriculture becomes the first to be affected.

Therefore, rice farmers must adopt water management practices to utilize scarce resources better. Rice water is mainly lost due to percolation, transpiration, seepage, and evaporation. Seepage can be controlled by building better levees.

A levee is an artificial wall built to prevent water from spillage or diverting from its intended path. Another strategy is to ensure that the farm is weed-free so the weeds do not compete for water with rice. To reduce transpiration, cover the plant immediately after transplanting it.

Seedlings should be covered up to 80% of their height for a period not exceeding one week. During its growth cycle, rice will have different water requirements. These are:

Nursery stage: 50 -60mm
Feild preparation 250mm
Panicle initiation stage 400 mm
Flowering stage 400mm

More than 1200- 1460 mm of water will be required for the entire growth cycle of rice.

Controlling Weeds in Rice Plantations

If weeds are not controlled, they can reduce yields by up to 80%. Weeds should be controlled because they compete for nutrients and water with rice3. Several weed control methods can be implemented. These methods are:

Tillage
Burning
Hand weeding
Use of herbicides

Farmers should use a combination of all weeding methods to increase efficiency. Hand weeding should be used hand in hand with herbicides. Another strategy is to ensure that the canals are free of weeds to prevent their seeds from finding their way into the farm.

Rice farmers should ensure they weed their farms every two weeks using a rotary weeder. If commercial herbicides are used, they should be applied as instructed by the manufacturer. It is essential to know that too much application of herbicides can result in contamination, making the rice unfit for human consumption.

Pest and Disease Management in Rice Plantations

Apart from weeds, pests and diseases can also affect yields. Pesticides should not be applied for no apparent reason. This is because regular spraying may make the pests resistant to pesticides and pollute the environment. Some of the common pests that are likely to attack a rice farm are:

Stem Borers

Stem borers mainly attack during the reproductive phase because the crops have high amounts of nitrogen. The nitrogen is used for oviposition. These pests can be controlled by applying calcium silicate, and by ensuring that rice stems are always under water.

White tip Nematode

A nematode is an elongated cylindrical parasitic worm that lives on plants and animals. The white tip nematode is a parasitic worm that feeds off the tips of rice plants, causing them to turn white through a scientific process referred to as white tip necrosis.

Infected rice plants have stunted growth, produce small panicles, and lack vigor. If the problem is not controlled on time, the grains of affected crops will have a chaffy texture. The best way to manage this nematode is to use resistant varieties and to treat seeds by boiling them in water for 15 minutes at temperatures of between 52 – 53 degrees celsius.

Rice Whorl Maggots and Leaf Miners

Whorl maggots and leaf miners are small flies that are usually grey or black in color. These flies lay white cigar-shaped eggs that hatch into larvae that feed on the rice leaves. Leaf miners prefer crops with high humidity levels, which is why they are usually found on leaves near the water surface. If whorl maggots are not controlled, they will attack the leaves and cause them to wither.

The best way to control these two pests is to ensure that water is drained from the farm every four days for at least one month after transplanting. This is because adult miners thrive best in stagnant water.

Get in Touch With a Qualified Agronomist You Can Trust

If your rice farming venture is experiencing low yields, it is time to seek the services of an experienced agronomist. We have a team of agronomists with more than 20 years of experience helping farmers like you increase their yields and income. Therefore, do not hesitate to reach out for a free consultative session.