Effect of nutrient and weed management strategies on the yield performance of boro rice cv. BRRI dhan63

An experiment was conducted to study the yield components and yield of Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan63) under different nutrient and weed management strategies. The experiment was laid out in a two factor randomized complete block design with three replications consisting of four nutrient management strategies viz. cowdung 10 t ha-1, recommended dose of chemical fertilizer (urea, triple super phosphate, muriate of potash, gypsum and zinc sulphate @ 258, 101, 120, 113 and 11.5 kg ha-1, respectively), 75% recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + cowdung 5 t ha-1 and 50% recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + cowdung 10 t ha-1; and five weed management strategies viz. weedy check, hand weeding twice at 15 and 30 days after transplanting (DAT), pre-emergence herbicide Panida at 3 DAT, post-emergence herbicide Granite at 10 DAT and Panida at 3 DAT + Granite at 10 DAT. Yield components and yield of Boro rice cv. BRRI dhan63 were significantly influenced by nutrient and weed management strategies. Application of 75% recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + cowdung 5 t ha-1 showed the highest values for all yield components and produced the highest grain yield (6.24 t ha-1) while among the weed management strategies, Panida at 3 DAT + Granite at 10 DAT produced the highest grain yield (6.39 t ha-1) and the interaction of this two treatments also produced the highest grain yield (6.97 t ha-1). Among the different nutrient management strategies, cowdung 10 t ha-1 produced the lowest values of most of the yield contributing characters and grain yield (4.92 t ha-1) while in case of weed management strategies weedy check produced the lowest grain yield (4.55 t ha-1) and the interaction of this two treatments also produced the lowest grain yield (4.05 t ha-1). Therefore, it can be concluded that 75% recommended dose of chemical fertilizer + cowdung 5 t ha-1 combined with Panida at 3 DAT + Granite at 10 DAT can be practiced for the cultivation of Boro rice cv. BRRI dhan63 to obtain the highest grain yield. [Fundam Appl Agric 2018; 3(2.000): 491-497

Integrated Nutrient Management for Rice Yield, Soil Fertility, and Carbon Sequestration

Reliance on inorganic fertilizers with less or no use of organic fertilizers has impaired the productivity of soils worldwide. Therefore, the present study was conducted to quantify the effects of integrated nutrient management on rice yield, nutrient use efficiency, soil fertility, and carbon (C) sequestration in cultivated land. The experiment was designed with seven treatments comprising of a zero input control, recommended inorganic fertilizers (RD), poultry manure (PM) (5 t ha−1) + 50% RD, PM (2.5 t ha−1) + 75% RD, vermicompost (VC) (5 t ha−1) + 50% RD, VC (2.5 t ha−1) + 75% RD, and farmers’ practice (FP) with three replications that were laid out in a randomized complete block design. The highest grain yield (6.16–6.27 t ha−1) was attained when VC and PM were applied at the rate of 2.5 t ha−1 along with 75% RD. Uptake of nutrients and their subsequent use efficiencies appeared higher and satisfactory from the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers. The addition of organic fertilizer significantly influenced the organic carbon, total carbon, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium contents in post-harvest soil, which indicated enhancement of soil fertility. The maximum value of the organic carbon stock (18.70 t ha−1), total carbon stock (20.81 t ha−1), and organic carbon sequestration (1.75 t ha−1) was observed in poultry manure at the rate of 5 t ha−1 with 50% RD. The soil bulk density decreased slightly more than that of the control, which indicated the improvement of the physical properties of soil using organic manures. Therefore, regular nourishment of soil with organic and inorganic fertilizers might help rejuvenate the soils and ensure agricultural sustainability

Salicylic Acid Improves Agro-Morphology, Yield and Ion Accumulation of Two Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) Genotypes by Ameliorating the Impact of Salt Stress

Wheat growth, development and yield are severely affected by a wide range of abiotic stresses, and salt stress is a vital and increasing abiotic stress. Salicylic acid (SA) is a phenolic phytohormone involved in plant physiological processes. Hence, we have conducted an experiment to explore the roles of exogenous SA in mitigating salt stress in two wheat genotypes. There were eight treatments comprising (i) control, (ii) 0.5 mM SA, (iii) 1.0 mM SA, (iv) 1.5 mM SA, (v) salinity (12 dS m−1), (vi) salinity + 0.5 mM SA, (vii) salinity + 1.0 mM SA and (viii) salinity + 1.5 mM SA with two wheat genotypes viz G 200-4 and BARI gom-25. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with five replications. During the vegetative stage, salt stress significantly reduced the relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and growth characteristics of both wheat genotypes, while the exogenous application of SA in salt-stressed plants significantly improved the RWC, gas exchange activities and growth performance of both the genotypes. The leaf chlorophyll content was also degraded due to salinity treatment, although it was mitigated by the exogenous application of SA. The imposition of salt significantly reduced the number of days required for maturity, yield-contributing characteristics and the yield of both the wheat genotypes. Salt stress also significantly increased Na+ concentrations and the Na+/K+ ratio, while the K+ concentrations was decreased significantly in both the wheat genotypes. However, the exogenous application of SA in salt-stressed plants significantly reduced the salt stress effects and increased the growth and yield of wheat genotypes by enhancing RWC, gas exchange activities and photosynthetic pigments and maintaining lower Na+ concentrations and a Na+/K+ ratio. Therefore, the findings of this study suggested that the exogenous application of SA improved the salt tolerance of both wheat genotypes