EVALUATION OF PRESCRIPTION BASED FERTILIZER RECOMMENDATIONS IN SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) IN WET TEMPERATE ZONE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2016-07-05
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CSHHPKV Palampur
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2015 at the Experimental Farm of
Department of Soil Science, CSK HPKV, Palampur to study the effect of different approaches
of fertilizer application on growth parameters and productivity; soil physico-chemical
properties; nutrients uptake and economics of rice under SRI. There were eight treatments
(control, farmers‟ practice, general recommended dose, soil test based, yield targets 3.5, 4.0,
4.5 and 5.0 t ha-1
replicated thrice in a randomized block design (RBD). The soil of
experimental field was silty clay loam in texture, acidic in reaction ( pH 5.5), high in organic
carbon (11.2 g kg-1
), medium in available N (320 kg ha-1
), high in available P (30 kg ha-1
),
low in available K (112 kg ha-1
) and sufficient in micronutrients. Soil samples (0-0.15 m)
were collected before sowing, at 50% flowering and at harvest for chemical analysis. Plant
samples were collected at 50% flowering and harvest and analyzed for N, P, K contents
whereas, micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) concentration in grain and straw at harvest was
also determined after harvest of crop. Growth parameters and yield attributes were also
recorded at specified intervals.
All the levels for prescription based fertilizer application gave significantly higher
grain and straw yield as compared to other approaches of fertilizer application barring few
exceptions. Further, treatment for yield target of 5.0 t ha-1
resulted in maximum growth (plant
height, total number of effective tillers, panicle length, 1000 grain weight, spikelet fertility
percentage, number of grains per panicle), grain (4.46 t ha-1
) and straw (10.03 t ha-1
) yield.
Targeted yield treatments significantly increased the nutrients uptake over other approaches
of fertilizer application. The status of N, P and K was higher in STCR based fertilizer
treatments at 50% flowering as well as at harvest of the crop. The STCR based fertilizer
application treatments excelled all other approaches of fertilizer application in terms of net
returns and benefit cost ratio. However, STCR approach for transplanted rice worked
satisfactorily up to yield target of 4.0 t ha-1
beyond which deviation in yield from targeted
yield was more than 10 per cent. Soil test based and general recommended dose of fertilizers
recorded better plant growth and yield, and increased the nutrients uptake and N, P and K
status in soil as compared to the farmers‟ practice and control.