Study on morpho-physiological, yield attributes and quality parameters of rice varieties under different nitrogen levels and zinc application

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif, 2018 at College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad to study the effect of different nitrogen levels and zinc application on growth and development in paddy. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three varieties as main plots, six nutrient levels as sub plots and replicated thrice. Among the varieties Tella Hamsa had taken less number of days to panicle initiation (63), flowering (82) and maturity (117), recorded highest sterility % (22.7), minimum LAI (4.19, 4.50 and 2.56 at vegetative, flowering and grain filling stage respectively) and lower photosynthetic rate (17.5, 20.9 and 13 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1 at vegetative, flowering and grain filling stage respectively). Telangana Sona had taken more number of days to panicle initiation (66), flowering (86) and maturity (121), higher filled grain %, maximum LAI, maximum photosynthetic rate, more panicles m-2, grains panicle-1, filled grain % and low sterility %, higher grain yield and high harvest index (46). Application of 25 % higher than RDN + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray resulted in maximum LAI, maximum photosynthetic rate, panicles m-2, grains panicle-1, filled grain % Panicle length, grain yield, more test weight and harvest index. Quality parameters were significantly influenced by the different varieties and nitrogen levels. Between varieties, Telangana Sona recorded significantly higher hulling (84.3), milling (73.7) and head rice recovery percentage (65.1).