Effect of Establishment Methods and Nutrient Management Practices on Growth Characters and Yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Aim: Study was conducted to compare and to identify the best combination of rice crop establishment method and nutrient management in terms of crop growth, development and yield.

Study Design: Experiment was laid out in splitplot design.

Place and Duration of Study: The field experiments were conducted at the research farm of Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, Telangana State, India during the kharifand rabiseasons of 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Methodology: The treatments consisted of four establishment methods (System of rice intensification (SRI), modified drum seeder, normal drum seeder and normal transplanting) as main plot treatments and four nutrient management practices (100% recommended dosage of nitrogen (RDN) through inorganic, 75% RDN through inorganic+ 25% RDN through organic, 50% RDN through inorganic+50% RDN through organic and 100% RDN through organic) as sub plot treatments with 16 treatment combinations and three replications. The semi dwarf, high yielding Sampada variety was raised during the study period.

Results: Growth parameters like plant height, leaf area index (LAI), dry matter accumulation, number of tillers per square meter were observed at 45,75,105 days after transplanting and at harvest stages. The two years experimental results and the pooled mean data revealed that SRI recorded significantly superior growth parameters at all the crop growth stages followed by modified drum seeder. In respect of subplots 50% RDN through inorganic+50% RDN through organic resulted in superior growth parameters and yield.

Conclusions:The combination of SRI with nutrient management practice 50% nitrogen through urea and 50% nitrogen through vermiconpost resulted in greater growth parameters and grain yield.