Preparatory Cultivation For The Nursery
 
 The next widely adopted system is irrigated system or
otherwise known as wet system.
 In this system seedlings are raised in the nursery bed and later
transplanted in puddled mainfield.
 The main object of raising seedlings is to obtain healthy
planting material, utilize the mainfield till the seedlings
become ready,minimize the cost by using less seed material
etc.
 Three methods are in vogue for raising seedlings and they are
o Wet
o Dry and
o Dapog methods.
 Of these the wet method is mostly adopted by rice growers
throughout the country.

Nursery bed preparation

 The seed bed area is ploughed twice, either under dry & wet
conditions, and then puddled by giving two or three more
ploughings.
 Care is taken to see that a thinfilm of water is maintained in
the field, so that it does not dry up.
 After ten days, the field is again ploughed twice and levelled.
Usually, well decomposed cattle manure or compost at the
rate of eight to ten tones per acre is applied at the time of the
last ploughing.
 If green leaf is available it is applied at the rate of 10,000 lb
per acre just after the second ploughing and buried in the soil.
 Leaves decompose in about three weeks time, the field is
repeatedly ploughed to bring the soil into a soft puddle.
 Under Indian conditions, heavy fertilization of the seed-bed is
not necessary, as this practice does not affect the yield of the
crop.
 However, where the seedlings are required quickly for
planting, such a fertilization of the seed-bed may be resorted.
 When the field is brought to a fine soft puddle, it is divided
into small raised beds with 50cm. channel all around to
facilitate drainage and for even sowing of seed.

1) Wet Nursery
 
 
The area intended for nursery raising should have

 An assured water supply and an efficient drainage system.

  Should be dry ploughed for 2 times and later, it should be
irrigated and allowed to be wet for another two days.
 Afterwards it should be puddled twice and the puddling may
be repeated after a gap of one week.
 This process of puddling contributes in obtaining good tilth,
removal of weeds and also facilitates water retention.
 Well decomposed farm yard manure at 5-8 tons per ha has to
be applied prior to dry ploughing.
 To plant one acre, 4 cents of nursery is required.
 Recommended inorganic fertilizers are to be applied after first
phase of puddling.
 After levelling and final puddling, beds of convenient length
with width of 1.5m are to be made, leaving 50 cms channels
in between two beds.

2) Dry Nursery

In this method

 The field is ploughed 5-6 times.

 Beds of 1.5 m width and convenient length are to be prepared.