Targeting dissemination of submergence tolerant rice in Assam, India: A geomatics approach

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

Assam, situated in the north-eastern region of India, covers an area of 78,438 sq. km. Rice occupies about two-third of the total cropped area in the state, and is grown in 2.47 million ha area during kharif (rainy) and rabi (summer) seasons. The 2.04 t/ha rice (paddy) productivity in Assam is below the national average of 3.29 t/ha of rice productivity of India, despite having good alluvial soils. Rice productivity in Assam is mainly constrained by the frequent spells of floods during kharif season. An estimated of 0.475 million ha (ca 19% of the net sown area) in the state is chronically flood-prone. Swarna Sub1, a flood-tolerant rice variety has been developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) by introduction of Sub1 gene in the parent variety Swarna, providing it submergence tolerance up to 15 days. The Government of Assam wanted to introduce this variety in the state in 2011. To facilitate effective dissemination of Swarna-Sub1 rice seeds, this study used remote sensing and GIS to identify villages experiencing flash food with maximum duration of 15 days. Such endeavor involved analysis of 21 flood-prone districts of Assam using flood inundation layer, based on Radarsat-2 multi-temporal data (C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar, SAR wide range at 100 m resolution with HH polarization; SAR narrow range at 50 m resolution; standard range at 25 m resolution). All available SAR data from 2007 to 2010 were used. The year-wise layers of different flood dates were digitized in ArcGIS and areas where flood water stagnated for 15 days or less in different flood cycles in a year were clipped. This process was repeated for all the four flood years and a merged data layer was created. The merged data layer was intersected with village administrative boundary and villages were selected. These selected villages represent the submergence areas of 15 days or less, recommended locations for dissemination of Sub1 rice variety seeds. A total of 6997 villages in 21 districts were identified for seed dissemination through an IRRI-implemented project- Stress Tolerant Rice for Farmers in Africa and South Asia (STRASA). Dissemination of Swarna-Sub1 seeds was carried out under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) of the Government of India during 2011. In 2012, more seed multiplication was carried out and in 2013, about 30,000 ha was covered by Swarna-Sub1 in Assam. Following its success, Sub1 gene was introgressed into two most popular rice varieties of Assam-Ranjit and Bahadur. These varieties, Ranjit-Sub1 and Bahadur-Sub1, were released for cultivation in 2018. Sub1 rice varieties have now covered a significant area in Assam. This study demonstrated the use case of remote sensing and GIS technologies to target dissemination of flood-tolerant rice varieties with the ultimate goal of reducing vulnerability of rice farmers to flood-induced crop production loss and thereby increasing farmers' rice productivity and also helped farmers grow flood tolerant rice in those flooded areas where no crop could be taken otherwise.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

40th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing, ACRS 2019: Progress of Remote Sensing Technology for Smart Future

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