Final manual transplanting of rice
Final manual transplanting of rice Rice is a very important food crop that is the staple diet of at least half of the world's population so in this half of the world’s population we the Lepcha are included. Final manual transplanting is done on the flat land with clayey soil because this is most ideal for wet rice cultivation as this can help retain water. In hilly places steps are cut into the hill slopes to create terraces (flat land) for growing rice. The fields are then flooded with water channeled from small streams or obtained from direct rainfall. Ploughing and leveling of terraces The terraces (flat land) fields are first ploughed with the help of energetic and helpful oxen and the finally leveled by the villager. After leveling the fields, final manual transplanting is done and it ensures a uniform plant stand and gives the rice crop a head start over emerging weeds. Further, seedlings are established even if the field is not leveled adequately and has varia...