Question

Puddling in paddy is done with an objective to _____

• A. Destroy insects and pests
• B. Mix the fertilizer in the soil
• C. Create an impermeable layer in the soil
• D. Weed off the soil

Hint:

Puddling reduces the percolation rate of water by destroying macro-pores and forming a plow pan.
This helps maintain standing water in rice fields, which is essential for controlling weed growth.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Puddling is a primary tillage operation in wet-land rice (paddy) cultivation.
It involves churning the soil under flooded conditions (standing water of $5$ to $10$ cm) using animal-drawn plows, power tillers, or tractor-drawn rotavators.
This process alters the physical properties of the soil to suit rice cultivation.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The primary physical objective of puddling is to destroy the soil's natural structure.
When the soil is plowed repeatedly under flooded conditions, the soil aggregates break down.
The fine clay particles disperse and clog the macro-pores in the subsurface layer.
Subsequent compaction from tillage implements forms a dense, low-permeability layer called a "plow pan" at a depth of $10$ to $15$ cm.
This impermeable layer significantly reduces the rate of water percolation through the soil profile.
Because lowland rice requires flooded or saturated soil conditions to grow and suppress weeds, creating this impermeable barrier is essential for conserving water during the crop cycle.
While puddling also helps to incorporate weeds and mix fertilizers into the root zone, these are secondary benefits.
The primary objective of this practice is to reduce percolation losses by creating the low-permeability plow pan.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Puddling in paddy is performed primarily to create an impermeable layer in the soil.