Direct-seeded rice (DSR) in the Indo-Gangetic Plains is best sown 10–15 days before the monsoon onset, which typically translates to late May through mid-June. During this period, soil moisture from pre-monsoon showers helps pre-germinated seeds establish without the need for transplanted puddling. Sowing beyond 30 June markedly reduces tillering, panicle initiation, and grain filling, leading to yield losses of 30–60 percent if delayed into July.

In contrast, conventional transplanted rice can tolerate later transplanting—up to 2 August for long-duration varieties and 16 August for short-duration ones—but direct-seeded rice lacks standing water to buffer young seedlings against heat and drought stress. In Nepal’s Terai, where recent monsoons have delivered below-normal rainfall, DSR sown in August under purely rainfed conditions risks poor germination, severe water stress at panicle initiation, and explosive weed growth in aerobic soils.

If farmers must sow DSR in August due to delays or dry spells, they need reliable supplemental irrigation to supply at least 200 mm of water in July–August, starting the first irrigation 10–21 days after sowing and continuing weekly to maintain moist, unirrigated seedbeds. Adoption of short-duration varieties (110–120 days) can help crops mature before end-monsoon drought, and rigorous weed management—applying pre-emergence herbicides within three days of sowing followed by two to three mechanical weedings—will mitigate the higher weed pressure typical of late-season dry-seeded fields.

In summary, under rainfed conditions in Nepal’s Terai, August DSR is not advisable. Only with adequate irrigation infrastructure, use of fast-maturing varieties, precise laser land leveling, and stringent weed control can farmers attempt a successful late-season DSR crop.

No, August is generally too late for Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Indo-Gangetic Plain areas. For optimal results in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, DSR should be sown 1-2 weeks before the historical onset of monsoon, typically around mid-May to early June, or about 15 days before monsoons begin. Research indicates that wet direct sowing during the first fortnight of July is suitable for enhancing grain yield during the Kharif season. Late sowing in August would result in reduced crop duration, lower yields, and increased risk of terminal stress due to shortened growing period before winter onset. The rice crop would also face harvest delays that could conflict with subsequent wheat sowing in the rice-wheat cropping system prevalent in these regions.

DSR may be in dry or wet condition depending upon the amount of available rain water. Normally performance of dry DSR is found to be better if it is sown before onset of monsoon of the locality. On the other-hand, wet DSR may be done after onset of monsoon in rainfed condition. However, under abnormal weather condition if sowing has to be delayed up to August the DSR may be done with short duration (90-100 days) varieties. In Assam condition where rainy season is longer and extends up to September, pre-germinated seeds of similar duration rice varieties are sown up to 1st week of September as post-flood crop in some areas as no other kharif crop can be grown is such areas.