“System of Rice Intensification” of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in:

1. Reduced seed requirement
2. Reduced methane production
3. Reduced electricity consumption

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct option is 1, 2 and 3.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a farming methodology aimed at increasing the yield of rice produced in agriculture. It is a low-water, labor-intensive method that uses younger seedlings singly spaced and typically hand-weeded with special tools. The practice results in several resource-saving benefits, explained step-by-step below:

1. Reduced seed requirement:
In conventional transplanting, farmers use multiple seedlings per hill and a high density of plants. Under SRI, younger seedlings (usually 8–12 days old) are transplanted singly (one seedling per hill) and spaced widely in a grid pattern. This drastically reduces the number of seeds needed to cultivate a given unit of land. Seed requirements can drop by up to 80% to 90% compared to traditional methods.

2. Reduced methane production:
Traditional rice cultivation keeps fields continuously flooded, creating anaerobic (oxygen-depleted) soil conditions. Anaerobic bacteria decompose organic matter and release significant amounts of methane (${\mathrm{CH}}_4$), a potent greenhouse gas. In SRI, fields are not kept flooded. Instead, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is practiced, introducing aerobic conditions periodically. This inhibits anaerobic methanogenic bacteria, thereby reducing methane emissions substantially (by up to 30% to 50%).

3. Reduced electricity consumption:
Since SRI practices do not require continuous submergence of fields, the demand for irrigation water is significantly lower. Less water needs to be pumped from groundwater sources or canals. Consequently, the electricity or fuel consumption required to run irrigation pumps is greatly reduced.

Therefore, all three statements are correct, making 1, 2 and 3 the correct answer.