The kharif season has arrived in Chhattisgarh, and farmers are now deep into preparations for sowing paddy. From ploughing fields to arranging fertiliser and picking out the right seed, the pace of work has clearly picked up. It is precisely at this stage that agricultural experts keep repeating one piece of advice — do not treat seed preparation casually, because protecting a crop from disease and pests truly begins here.
A Solution Built From What the Village Already Has
Dr Bhumeshwari Sahu, a plant-disease scientist at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Balod district, has suggested an approach that needs neither a laboratory nor any expensive equipment. It is an entirely homegrown method that any farmer can try in their own courtyard. Speaking to TrendKia, she explained that treating paddy seed with a 17 percent salt solution proves remarkably effective.
The strength of this solution lies in what it removes: insects hidden inside the seeds, their eggs, diseased grains and weed seeds all separate out with ease. According to Dr Sahu, the trick is especially useful for farmers who follow traditional cultivation but want a better yield at low cost.
Is the Solution Right? Let a Potato or Egg Decide
A common question is how to get the correct proportion when no scientific instrument is at hand to measure the solution. Dr Sahu has an answer for that too. Take 10 litres of water in a tub, she says, and dissolve one kilogram and 700 grams of salt thoroughly into it. Then comes the test — and for this, the simplest village method is used.
Drop a potato or an egg into the solution. If it begins to float, you can be sure the solution has been mixed in exactly the right proportion. After this, the paddy seeds are added to the same solution and mixed well by hand. Wait a short while — the seeds that settle to the bottom are considered healthy and strong, while those that keep floating on top are usually light, diseased or mixed with weed seeds. These floating seeds should be scooped out and set aside with the help of a sieve.
What to Do With the Good Seeds
Dr Bhumeshwari Sahu explains that the good seeds that have sunk to the bottom must be washed twice with clean water and then dried in the shade. Farmers who want to give their crop even firmer protection can, as an additional step, also treat the seed with a mixture of Mancozeb and Carbendazim.
Agricultural scientists say this village method carries a double benefit. On one hand it does not burden the farmer's pocket, since the cost stays extremely low. On the other, because healthy seed is chosen from the very start, the early health of the crop improves — and that translates directly into a higher final yield.
