Rice is one of the most important food crops that feed over half of the global population and biggest consumer of fresh water diverted from irrigation. Water scarcity is burning issue of agriculture, outcome of climate change and unpredictable rainfall. It threatens the future of irrigated rice cultivation. Researchers developed new technology called -Aerobic Rice‖ to cope up with present situation. Rice is grown in well-drained, non-puddled and non-saturated soils. Aerobic rice cultivar has drought tolerance capacity as well as yield potentiality. Aerobic rice can save about 50% of irrigation water in comparison to lowland rice. To overcome increasing water scarcity problem, this is better choice for both present and future.

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The study was conducted to evaluate the performance of thirty-six Basmati rice genotypes for yield and its related traits under direct-seeded rice (DSR), system of rice intensification (SRI), chemical-free cultivation (CFC), and conventional transplanted rice (TPR).The genotypes were evaluated for two years at two locations in randomized block design with three replications. Genotype Pusa Basmati 1121 scored highest ~22% yield increase in system of rice intensification method over transplanted rice followed by Pusa Basmati 1 (~20%) genotypes HKR 11-447 (~18 %). Genotype Pusa Basmati 1, Pusa Basmati 1637-2-8-20-5 and Pusa Basmati1734-8-3-85 produced 8-16 % higher yield in chemical-free cultivation in comparison to TPR. Genotypes HKR 98-476, CSR 30, PAU 6297-1 yielded equally in DSR as well as in TPR. All the genotypes under study showed earlier flowering and maturity in DSR followed by SRI and TPR=CFC. Pusa Basmati 1509recordedthe earliest flowering across the environments. Most of the genotypes showed an increase in panicle weight, number of tillers per plant, number of spikelets per panicle, percent filled spikelets, Biological yield, and grain yield under SRI over other methods of rice crop establishment. Among different methods, SRI was found best than TPR, CFC, and DSR (wet).

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