Popularization of climate-resilient Sali rice varieties among the farmers in Morigaon and Darrang districts of Assam

Introduction

The impacts of climate change on agriculture have become an increasingly pressing global concern, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events jeopardizing the stability of food systems. In India, where agriculture contributes significantly to livelihoods and the national economy, these changes have had profound effects, particularly on rice cultivation, which is highly sensitive to climatic variations. Assam, a key rice-producing state in Northeast India, exemplifies this challenge. The state's agricultural sector, dominated by small and marginal farmers, faces recurrent threats from floods, droughts, and fluctuating weather patterns, which are projected to intensify under changing climate scenarios (IPCC, 2021). Assam is a land of agriculturally rich heritage which is divided into six agro-climatic zones. Morigaon district falls under Central Brahmaputra Valley Zone which receives an average annual rainfall of 1,800-2,300mm (IMD, 2021), whereas Darrang district comes under North Bank Plain Zone with annual average rainfall of 1,700-2,100 mm (IMD, 2021). The rainy days in the districts prevails from the month of April to mid October (http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Assam).Periods of intense precipitation leads to recurrent flooding, submerging vast swathes of agricultural land, while intermittent dry spells disrupt the sowing and growth stages of crops. For instance, the devastating floods 2022 in these districts caused substantial damage to standing crops, with Morigaon alone witnessing over 75% of cultivable land area inundated, and the statistics for Darrang was 68% (ASDMA, 2022). Such events underscore the urgent need for adaptive agricultural strategies to safeguard livelihoods and food security. Sali rice, a primary crop in Assam, plays a central role in ensuring food security in the region. However, the increasing unpredictability of climatic conditions has resulted in reduced productivity and heightened vulnerability of traditional Sali rice varieties. Monocropping is prevalent in the majority of the areas. During Sali season because of the retention of flood waters in the field the yield of long duration sali paddy is badly affected.Mostly long duration local varieties are being practice by the farmers and only 10-15 percent area is devoted to high yielding varieties, for which the productivity becomes low, the reliance on traditional rice varieties has rendered these farmers increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes. Addressing this issue necessitates the adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties tailored to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses, such as flooding, drought, and salinity. Among these, climate-resilient Sali rice varieties, including submergence-tolerant strains such as Ranjit sub-1, have demonstrated considerable potential to enhance crop stability under adverse conditions (Ismail et al., 2013) [11] . Farmers of the district would be benefitted if they can grow at least two to three crops in a year. Since flooding is one of the major hazards of rice cultivation in Brahmaputra basin areas, tolerant varieties are urgently needed to help protect the farmers from submergence. The technologies offering resilience to then changing climatic context of agriculture become an imperative to the sector and its dependents secured (Jasna et al., 2017) [12] . It is of utmost importance that farmers get benefitted by short or medium duration sali paddy varieties so that they can go for their Rabi crops at proper time. The commercially grown rice in Assam is the Oryza sativa family, comprising of Indica rice race. Indica -It is the major eco-geographical race of Oryza sativa grown in Assam. These Sub1 varieties are now spreading at an unprecedented pace in Assam and are expected to cover the entire area in the near future. These Sub1 varieties also encourage farmers to use more inputs. Thus, they have the potential to usher a second green revolution in the flood-prone rainfed rice areas, which did not benefit from the first green revolution initiated during the mid-sixties. Therefore keeping this in view the sub-1 varieties where tested as On Farm Trial in the year 2016-17 followed by popularization through Frontline Demonstration in larger area with subsequent quality seed production in participatory mode from the year 2017-18 to 2021-22 respectively. Moreover, the findings aim to provide actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance climate adaptation and build resilience in Assam's rice farming systems.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in the Morigaon and Darrang districts of Assam, located in Central Brahmaputra Valley Zone and North Bank Plain Zone respectively. Morigaon, with its proximity to the Brahmaputra River and the Kopili River and Darrang, traversed by the Jiabharali and Nanoi rivers, are prone to flooding and other climate-induced challenges, making them ideal locations for studying the impact of climate-resilient rice varieties. Both districts are predominantly agrarian, with rice being the primary crop. The research utilized a participatory approach, combining On-Farm Trials (OFTs) and Frontline Demonstrations (FLDs) to assess the performance, adoption potential, and impacts of climate-resilient Sali rice varieties (Ranjit Sub-1, Bahadur sub-1). A total of 5 OFTs and 12 nos of FLDs were conducted at Borsola, Santipur, Burakuwargaon, Gaolia, Manaha, Rupohiborinigam, Jurgaon, Kalshilapar, Ouguriarea in the Morigaon district covering an area of 6.48 ha in the year 2017-18 to 2019-20 respectively. And 14 nos of OFTs were done at Gargari, Mahaliapara, Dahi-Nagaon, Niz-Rangamati, Na-Hawli, Borthekerabari villages of Darrang district covering an area of 6.46 ha to gather both empirical data on crop performance and practical insights from farmers. Standard agronomic practices recommended by the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) were followed for both the climate-resilient and traditional varieties. This included land preparation, seed treatment, irrigation, and pest management. Farmers were provided with training on the selection, sowing, and management of the resilient rice varieties. Field days and demonstrations were conducted at critical growth stages to ensure practical learning In farmer's plots, farmer's traditional practices were recorded. Yield and yield attributing characters were observed. The economic parameters were calculated based on the prevailing market price of the inputs and minimum support prices of outputs.The data output from OFT and FLDs with comparison from control plots and extension gap, technological gap, technological index along with the benefit-cost ratio were calculated using the formula as given by Samui et al (2000) [16] . Details of farming situation, soil type, date of sowing, date of harvesting, and submergence days during the crop season for respective OFT & FLDs are mentioned in Table 2.

Results and Discussion

The study demonstrated the significant potential of climateresilient rice varieties Ranjit-Sub1and Bahadur sub-1 in enhancing agricultural productivity and resilience in the floodprone districts of Morigaon and Darrang in Assam. Results from the On-Farm Trials (OFTs) revealed that both varieties significantly outperformed traditional rice varieties in terms of yield, flood tolerance, and economic returns. The superior performance of Bahadur-Sub1 and Ranjit-Sub1 highlights their potential to address the challenges posed by climate change, particularly in flood-prone regions like Morigaon and Darrang. The results are consistent with previous studies (Pathak & Singh, 2019) [15] , which reported similar yield advantages and submergence tolerance of Sub1 varieties in the North Bank Plain Zone of Assam. These varieties exhibited enhanced anaerobic germination and resilience, allowing them to recover and sustain productivity under submerged conditions. The On Farm Trial of the two varieties Ranjit Sub 1 and Bahadur Sub 1 grown during kharif 2016-17 showed complete submergence for 12 days in one location at seedling stage in nursery bed only in the district of Morigaon. Also, it was sown lately due to initial flood while in other locations the same varieties were under continuous submergence for 12 days at tillering stagein the same year in Morigaon district. It has been observed that the varieties which were submerged at nursery bed and other one at tillering stage survived. The result was found to be much better with 52 q/ha and 53 q/ha from Ranjit Sub 1 and Bahadur Sub 1 respectively. This may be due to silt deposition after flood. The finding has conformity with findings of Ranjita Bezbaruah (2019) [3] . In Morigaon, by observing the performance of yield and other characters of the OFT, consecutively for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 twenty four numbers of Frontline Demonstrations were conducted covering an area of 6.48 ha. For conducting FLDs SwarnaSub-1 variety was taken as local check since this variety gained popularity some 5 years back in the district Morigaon before the trial as OFT. In the year 2017-18 the varieties Ranjit sub -1 and BahadurSub-1 showed a yield of 49.9 q/ha and 53.5 q/ha against check of 44.2q/ha respectively despite of submergence of eight days just after transplanting stage. During the kharif season in the year 2018-19 the two varieties Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1 showed a yield of 51q/ha and 53 q/ha respectively against Swarna sub-1 as check of 46q/ha. In the year 2019-20 there was flash flood continuously for 7 days and the two varieties Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1 showed an yield of 50.8 q/ha and 52.81 q/ha respectively against check of 45.2q/ha. In the district of Darrang, Jalkunwari was considered as check variety. In 2016-17, the yields of Bahadur sub-1 and Ranjit sub-1 were 45.3 and 48.2 q/ha, respectively. Although the cultivars Ranjit Sub-1 and BahadurSub-1 were submerged for five days immediately following the transplanting stage, they produced 48.4 q/ha and 47.27 q/ha, respectively, in 2017-18, compared to a check of 41 q/ha. In comparison to Jalkunwari, which yielded 41.8 q/ha during the 2018-19 kharif season, the two varieties Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1 produced 50.2 q/ha and 48.5 q/ha, respectively. The crops were flooded for six days in 2019-20, and Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1 produced 52 and 53 q/ha, respectively, compared to a check of 36 q/ha. The grain yield performance with gap analysis has been shown in Table 3.

Gap analysis

Present study (Table 3) revealed that an extension of 1.00 q/ha to 8.10 q/ha was found between demonstrated technology and farmers practice. The extension gap for Ranjit sub-1 was highest in the year 2017-18 and lowest in the year 2016-17 whereas for Bahadur sub-1 gap was highest in 2016-17 and lowest in 2018-19.The adoption of scientific cultivation practices in demonstration plot might be the reason which resulted in higher grain yield than farmer's practices. The wide technology gap during the OFT and FLDs year of implementation may be due to soil fertility status and weather conditions. This extension gap necessitates the need to bring awareness among the farmers for adoption of improved submergence tolerant rice varieties (Singh et al., 2018) [18] . These are similar to findings of Patel et al (2013) [14] , Bezbaruah R (2019) [3] and Gaur et al (2020) [7] .

In the study the Technology Index showed feasibility of the technology at farmer's field. On an average based on the demonstrations 7.25 % was recorded. Lower technology index reflected the adequate transfer of proven technology to growers and sufficient extension services for transfer of technology and is because of adoption of improved package of practices with scientific cultivation practices. (Chauhan, 2011) [5] . These similar findings were found by Rupsikha et al, 2020 and Bezbaruah R (2019) [3] .

Economics

The economic viability of adopting climate-resilient Sali rice varieties, Bahadur-Sub1 and Ranjit-Sub1, was analyzed using the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) to assess their financial performance compared to traditional rice varieties in the Morigaon and Darrang districts of Assam. The results revealed a clear economic advantage for farmers cultivating the resilient varieties, particularly in flood-prone areas. The BCR values for Bahadur-Sub1 and Ranjit-Sub1 were significantly higher than those of the traditional varieties, indicating that these climateresilient varieties offer better financial returns under similar input conditions. The increased returns can be attributed to higher yields, better tolerance to submergence, and reduced crop losses due to flooding.The findings align with those of Singh and Sharma (2016) [19] , who reported a similar economic advantage for Sub1 varieties in flood-prone regions. Similar results were found by Rupsikha et al, 2020 and Bezbaruah R (2019) [3] in case of submergence tolerant rice varieties of Assam.

Conclusion

The promotion and adoption of climate-resilient Sali rice varieties, such as Bahadur-Sub1 and Ranjit-Sub1, in Morigaon and Darrang districts of Assam, demonstrate a promising pathway for enhancing agricultural sustainability in the face of climate change. The study's findings highlight the superior yield performance, submergence tolerance, and economic viability of these varieties, making them highly suitable for flood-prone agro-climatic zones. On-Farm Trials (OFTs) and Frontline Demonstrations (FLDs) effectively demonstrated the practical benefits of these varieties to farmers, leading to significant interest and intent for adoption The increased yield stability, coupled with higher benefit-cost ratios, underscores the potential of these varieties to improve farmers' incomes and livelihoods, even under adverse climatic conditions. By mitigating the impacts of floods, these varieties play a crucial role in ensuring food security and promoting climate-resilient agriculture. However, challenges such as limited seed availability, lack of awareness, and market dynamics must be addressed to maximize their adoption and impact. This research emphasizes the need for robust extension services, policy support, and targeted interventions to scale up the adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties. Integrating these innovations into broader agricultural development programs will not only strengthen farmers' adaptive capacity but also contribute significantly to achieving sustainable agricultural practices and climate adaptation goals in Assam and similar regions. The insights from this study serve as a foundation for future research and policy-making aimed at building resilient

References

1. Assam Agricultural University (AAU). Agronomic practices for Sali rice cultivation. Jorhat: AAU Press; 2020.
2. Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Flood report 2022: Agricultural impact analysis. ASDMA Publications; 2022.
3. Bezbaruah R. Performance evaluation of submergencetolerant rice varieties through on-farm trials in Assam. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development. 2019;14(1):169-73.
4. Bhattacharyya S. Institute develops flood-resistant rice. Telegraph Review. 2014 Oct 28.
5. Chauhan NM. Impact and yield fissure inspection of gram through trainings and FLDs by KVK Tapi in Gujarat. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research and Extension. 2011;4:125.
6. Duarah C. New rice variety developed in Assam for floodaffected farmers. Indian Farmers Review. 2014 May 12.
7. Gaur V, Jadav P. Impact of demonstrations on productivity and profitability of greengram in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. Journal of Krishi Vigyan. 2020;8(2):174-7.
8. Goswami R, Dutta M, Deka BC, Nath LK. Yield performance and popularization of stress-tolerant rice variety (Ranjit Sub-1) in Lakhimpur District of Assam, India. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. 2020;9(05):1421-7.
9. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Rainfall statistics of Assam. IMD Annual Reports; 2021.
10. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2021.
11. Ismail AM, Singh US, Singh S, Dar MH, Mackill DJ. The contribution of submergence-tolerant (Sub1) rice varieties to food security in flood-prone rainfed lowland areas in Asia. Field Crops Research. 2013;152:83-93.
12. Jasna VK, Burman RR, Padaria RN, Sharma JP, Varghese E, Chakraborty B, et al. Effectiveness of climate-resilient technologies in building resilience of farmers: Development of resilience index and measurement of resilience. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Agriculture. 2017;12(2):244-8.
13. Nag A, Singh R, Burman RR. Changes in technology use in rice cultivation in low and high rice productive districts of West Bengal. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Agriculture. 2011;6(1):9-13.
14. Patel HR, Patel FH, Maheriya VD, Dodia IN. Response of kharif greengram (Vigna radiata L.) to sulfur and phosphorus with and without biofertilizer application. Bioscan. 2013;8(1):149-52.
15. Pathak S, Singh P. On-farm trials for climate-resilient agriculture: Experiences from Assam. Journal of Climate Change and Agriculture. 2019;10(1):58-67.
16. Samui SK, Maitra S, Roy DK, Mondal AK, Saha D. Evaluation of frontline demonstration on groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in Sundarbans. Indian Society of Coastal Agricultural Research. 2000;18(2):180-3.
17. Sarkar RK, Panda D, Reddy JN, Patnaik SSC, Mackill DJ, Ismail AM. Performance of submergence-tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes carrying the Sub1 quantitative trait locus under stressed and non-stressed natural field conditions. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2009;79(11):876-83.
18. Singh R, Dogra A, Sarkar A, Saxena A, Singh B. Technology gap, constraint analysis, and improved production technologies for yield enhancement of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum) under arid conditions of Rajasthan. International Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2018;88(2):00-00.
19. Singh RK, Sharma A. Frontline demonstrations for the promotion of high-yielding varieties of rice in flood-prone areas. Indian Journal of Agronomy. 2016;61(3):297-302.