Studies on root growth, yield and NPK uptake of rice as influenced by different establishment techniques and N-levels

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Agricultural Research Station, Ragolu, Andhra Pradesh, with four establishment techniques Viz., dry direct sown rice, aerobic rice, machine planting and normal (manual) planting as main plots and five nitrogen levels (90,120,150,180 and 210 kg ha-1) as sub plots in a split plot design on sandy clay loam soil. The study revealed that among crop establishments of rice root volume, root dry weight, uptake of N, P and K at harvest, grain yield and straw yield of rice was significantly higher with machine planting and these parameters were the lowest with aerobic rice. Among the nitrogen levels studied, the maximum root volume, root dry weight, uptake of N, P and K at harvest, grain yield and straw yield of rice were recorded with application of nitrogen @ 210 kg N ha-1 and were comparable with application of 180 and 150 kg N ha-1 during both the years of study.