Response of Rice Establishment Methods on Different Dates on Yield and Yield Attributing Characteristics of Rice in Mid-hills of Nepal

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the summer season of 2019 and 2020 at the National Agronomy Research Centre to find out the response of various establishment methods and dates on the performance of rice. The experiment was carried out in 2 Factorial Randomized Complete Block (RCB) design with 3 replications in an area of 12 m² and planting geometry of 25 cm between rows and 20 cm between plants.  The establishment methods were Sprouted Direct Seeded Rice (SDSR) broadcasting, puddled transplanting, and unpuddled transplanting at three dates viz. 10^th June, 26^th June, and 10^th July. Twenty four hours water-soaked seeds were allowed to sprouting for 48 hours and broadcasted in a puddled plot. 22 days old seedlings were transplanted in a puddled and unpuddled plots.  Recommended doses of fertilizer @ 100:30:30 N:P₂O₅:K₂O kg  ha^-1 was used in the experiment. SDSR produced the highest yield of 4.2 Mt ha^-1 compared to puddled transplanting method with 3.4 Mt ha^-1. The highest grain yield was recorded on 10^th June (5.9 Mt ha^-1) followed by 26^th June (4.0 Mt ha^-1). Sprouted direct seeded rice permitted to mature early and produced the higher grain yield.