Rice farming — season guide: stages, tasks & pest watch

A stage-by-stage guide for growing rice in India (~130 days) — what to do when, the fertilizer schedule, and the pests to watch. Confirm specifics with your local KVK.

This is a practical, season-long guide for rice — built from package-of-practice norms. Always confirm doses, products and exact timing with your local KVK / agriculture officer; conditions vary by area and year.

Crop stages

• Nursery (day 0–25)

• Transplanting (day 25–30)

• Tillering (day 30–60)

• Panicle & flowering (day 60–100)

• Maturity & harvest (day 100–130)

What to do, when

• Day 0: Sow paddy nursery

• Day 25: Transplant + apply basal fertilizer

• Day 45: 1st nitrogen top-dress (tillering)

• Day 50: Scout for stem borer / leaf folder

• Day 70: 2nd top-dress (N + K) at panicle

• Day 85: Scout for brown planthopper

• Day 120: Drain field ~10 days before harvest

• Day 130: Harvest + plan market

Fertilizer schedule (soil-test led)

• Transplanting: FYM + full P + half K + 1/3 N (basal) — 8 t FYM + 25 kg P2O5 + 20 kg K2O — soil-test-led

• Tillering: 1st N top-dress — ~30 kg N — at active tillering

• Panicle & flowering: 2nd N + remaining K — ~25 kg N + 20 kg K2O — at panicle initiation

Pests & diseases to watch (IPM first)

• Tillering: Stem borer / leaf folder — pheromone traps, avoid excess N; confirm with KVK

• Panicle & flowering: Brown planthopper — drain field periodically, avoid overcrowding; confirm with KVK

A note on cost & price

Plan your inputs against a budget and track spend as you go. Mandi prices move through the season — check current rates before selling; khetigpt sends price alerts for your district. The figures here are estimates, not guarantees.