"System of Rice Intensification" of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in:
- 1.Reduced seed requirement
- 2.Reduced methane production
- 3.Reduced electricity consumption
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
SRI transplants young seedlings singly at wide spacing and keeps the field moist rather than flooded. Fewer seedlings means far less seed; drying the soil between irrigations curbs methane-producing bacteria; and less irrigation means less pumping, so less electricity. All three follow.
- ✓ 1. Because one young seedling is planted per hill at wide spacing, SRI needs only a small fraction of the seed used in conventional transplanted rice.
- ✓ 2. Methane forms in oxygen-free, waterlogged soil. Alternate wetting and drying lets air into the soil, so methane emission falls; ICAR lists SRI among its methane-mitigation technologies for rice.
- ✓ 3. SRI uses roughly a fifth to a third less water than flooded paddy. Where fields are irrigated by electric pumps, less water pumped means lower electricity use.
Remember · SRI: young single seedlings, wide square spacing, moist (not flooded) soil, weeding that aerates the soil — less seed, less water, less methane, similar or higher yield.
Sources
- FAO Science, Technology and Innovation Portal: System of rice intensification (SRI) ↗ “the rice growing areas can be extended using the same quantity of water (climate change adaptation). The technique requires less seed and fertiliser.”
- PIB: Measures to Reduce Methane Emissions (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 24 July 2023) ↗ “has developed several technologies with mitigation potential for methane from rice viz. (a) System for Rice Intensification – The technique has potential to enhance rice yield from 36-49% with about 22-35% less water than conventional transplanted rice”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·