Direct-seeded rice in India: A sustainable transition in cultivation practices

In the era of climate change, declining freshwater availability and rising labour costs are driving the search for alternative management systems to enhance grain yields and meet the demand of a growing global population. Direct-seeded rice (DSR) has emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional puddled transplanted rice, primarily due to its reduced input requirements, particularly water, as it eliminates the need for continuous field submergence. Simultaneously, it reduces labour requirement as it eliminates the need for a nursery. DSR offers significant advantages, including reduced water use (up to 50 %), lower greenhouse gas emissions, decreased labour dependency, improved soil health and enhanced economic returns. However, its widespread adoption is hindered by several challenges such as poor seedling establishment, high weed pressure, lodging susceptibility and nematode infestations. Recent advances in next-generation breeding strategies, including genome-wide association studies, gene editing, genomic selection and haplotype-based breeding, are increasingly being applied to address these challenges and develop rice varieties for DSR systems. Essential adaptive traits for successful DSR establishment include anaerobic germination potential, early seedling vigour, herbicide tolerance, strong root architecture and lodging resistance. By highlighting the critical role of these traits in DSR adaptation, this review underscores their potential impact and offers insights to advance DSR practices, while outlining the prerequisites for its successful cultivation.