Effect of nutrient management and rice establishment methods on soil fertility & crop productivity
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Date
2019
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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur
Abstract
The area under rice crop in our country is about 43.19 Mha with a production of 110.15 MT and productivity of 2550 kg ha-1(Directorate of Economics and Statistics, 2017).In India, rice is cultivated by different methods, but majority of farmers grow rice by adopting age-old practice, i.e. transplanting rice seedling in puddled field. This practice reduces weed problems, increases the iron and zinc (Fe& Zn) availability and makes soil favorable for transplanting and at the same time it requires large quantity of water up to grain filling. Further transplanting requires huge manpower. Direct seeding of rice is a potential alternative, which, is also a successful method of growing rice in many countries of the world.
With this back ground the present investigation entitled ―Effect of nutrient management and rice establishment methods on soil fertility & crop productivity‖was carried out at Research Farm, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa, Bihar during kharif2018 on calcareous sandy loam soil. The experiment was laid-out in a split-plot design (SPD). The main-plot treatments included three crop establishment methods, viz. dry direct-seeded rice (M3-DSR-dry), wet direct-seeded rice (M2-DSR-wet) and puddled transplanted rice (M1-TPR). In sub-plots, five different nutrient management methods were T1 (100% STCR Based Dose of Fertilizer + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1), T2 (75% DF + 25% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost), T3 (100% STCR based
Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost), T4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) and T5 (50% DF + 25% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) were replicated thrice under each method.
The plant height and yield attributing characters- number of tillers per meter square, number of panicles per meter square, filled grains per panicles and test weightrecorded significantly higher values under transplanted rice with T4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) recording significantly higher values among different nutrient management systems.
The transplanted method recorded significantly higher grain and straw yield as well as nutrient (N, P, K, Fe & Zn) uptake and T4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) performing significantly better than other treatments.
The bulk density was recorded lowest under DSR-dry treatment which recorded significantly higher water holding capacity (WHC). Among treatments T3 (100% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) recorded minimum bulk density and maximum WHC.
The availability of macro and micro nutrients was significantly higher under transplanted rice and was positively influenced byT4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost).
The fungal and bacterial count was found to be higher in transplanted rice while actinomycetes population was higher under DSR-dry. The microbial population was significantly influenced by T3 (100% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost).
The dehydrogenase activity, MBC and MBN were significantly higher in transplanted rice T3 (100% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) treatment recording significantly higher values.
The economics of all the cultivation practices recorded higher B:C ratio (0.73) and net returns (₹ 34684 ha-1) under DSR-wet with T1 (100% STCR Based Dose of Fertilizer + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1) giving farmers an alternative method for rice production.
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