Author(s):

Reshu Bhardwaj, Shikha Singh, MK Singh, AK Singh and AK Tiwary

Abstract: To evaluate the effect of different rice establishment methods on soil fertility status and productivity of rice, a field experiment was conducted under puddled soil during kharif season in 2015 at BAU, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Experimental soil was clay loam, slightly acidic (pH 6.1), low in organic carbon (3.6 g/kg) and available nitrogen (200.7 kg/ha), high in phosphorus (33.54 kg/ha) and medium in potassium (187.04 kg/ha). Conventional transplanting (102.60 kg/ha) and drum seeding (99.07kg/ha) being similar in nitrogen uptake by rice biomass, had edge over broadcasting of sprouted and dry seeds. Conventional transplanting (17.49 P and 98.12 K kg/ha), drum seeding (17.12 P and 97.35 K kg/ha) and mechanical transplanting (15.63 P and 90.35 K kg/ha) were similar in phosphorus and potassium uptake, respectively by rice biomass. Conventional transplanting and drum seeding had edge over broadcasting of dry seeds (14.17Pand 82.31K kg/ha).Crop established with broadcasting of dry seeds mined more soil Nand P (- 42.36 kg/ha N and -12.93 kg/haP), whereas, conventional transplanting had minimum N and P loss (-28.61 kg/ha and -11.28 kg/haP). Maximum potassium balance was found under conventionally transplanted (+59.42 kg/ha) followed by drum seeded (+58.84 kg/ha), mechanically transplanted rice (+53.18 kg/ha) and broadcasting of sprouted seeds (+48.81 kg/ha) and minimum by broadcasting of dry seeds (+46.81 kg/ha). Conventional transplanting (44.18 q /ha) produced 19 and 21% higher grain yield than broadcasting of sprouted (37.13 q/ ha) and dry seeds (36.50 q /ha), respectively and was similar to that of drum seeding (43.70 q/ ha) and mechanical transplanting (39.8 q/ha). Hence, for higher nutrient utilization, restoring of soil fertility and higher productivity establishment of rice through drum seeding can be a feasible alternative to transplanting methods.

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