Influence of fertilizer deep placement and nano urea on Growth, Yield and Economics of transplanted kharif rice

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2022 and 2023 at the Instructional-cum-Research Farm, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, to evaluate different nitrogen management practices on transplanted rice under rainfed conditions. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with thirteen treatments and three replications, comprising different levels of recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN), nano-urea, and fertilizer deep placement (FDP).Results revealed that 125% RDN applied as FDP (T13) recorded the highest plant height (130.76 cm at 60 DAT, 148.31 cm at 90 DAT and 146.26 cm at harvest), maximum number of tillers (330.16 and 347.92 m² at 60 and 90 DAT, respectively), and the highest dry matter accumulation (1528.14 g/m² at harvest). The same treatment also produced the highest pooled grain yield (53.04 q/ha) and straw yield (68.41 q/ha). The maximum cost of cultivation (₹50,380.58/ha), gross returns (₹146,253.82 /ha), net returns (₹95,873.24/ha), and benefit-cost ratio (1.90) was also recorded under 125% RDN as FDP. At early growth stage (30 DAT), the highest plant height (69.39 cm) was observed with 125% RDN + nano-urea (T9).