BATHINDA, May 14 -- With the paddy nursery setting time starting from May 15, the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has recommended that farmers adopt a newly developed technique of curating raised beds to prepare nurseries. PAU experts said that the new method readies plants for transplantation in fields in 25 days, saving five days. Buta Singh Dhillon, an agronomist at the PAU, said this technique ensures better plant health and enhances germination of paddy seeds. Farmers faced challenges when setting up a paddy nursery on a flat surface using the conventional method. Saplings used to take more than 30 days before they were ready for transplanting in fields. Poor plant growth in nurseries was a common complaint. The traditional method had a series of problems we needed to address," said Dhillon, a rice expert at the university's college of agriculture. State agriculture officials said that Punjab recorded nearly 32.48 lakh hectares under paddy in 2025. Farmers sow seeds in a protected nursery for nearly 30 days before transplanting them into rice fields. After successful trials, the PAU has advised farmers to prepare raised beds, which should be 3-4 inches above the surface. Each bed should be one metre wide and two beds should have 30cm space for smooth irrigation. "The new technique makes it easy for farm labourers to remove seedlings from the bed for transplantation without any loss of rice seedlings. It was observed that due to scorching heat, water in the conventional nurseries turns hot and farmers drain the water, which leads to loss of nutrients and adversely affects growth due to the germination process of seeds. These problems are not reported in the bedded nursery setups tested at various fields," said Dhillon. The expert said farmers can make it conveniently by hand or with a used tractor-fitted bed-maker. Use of nutrients and weedicides for bed nursery is similar to the conventional methods to prepare seedlings, according to the expert....