Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to study the performance of different systems of rice cultivation under varied nitrogen levels. The systems were, direct seeding of sprouted seeds under puddled condition, direct seeding of sprouted and dry seeds under unpuddled condition and transplanting of seedlings under unpuddled condition. In the puddled soil, 5 cm depth of water was maintained throughout the crop growing period. In respect of unpuddled condition, 5 cm depth of irrigation was given at 80 per cent of the available soil moisture. The nitrogen levels were 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 per cent of recommended dose of nitrogen. The results revealed that the direct seeding of sprouted seeds under puddled condition recorded higher growth and yield parameters than other systems studied. Beneficial effect was evident at 100 per cent of recommended dose of nitrogen which was comparable with that at 125 and 150 per cent. In case of water savings, the direct seeding of sprouted seeds under unpuddled soil condition recorded the higher water productivity than the puddled condition.

Keywords: Rice (Oryza sativa), puddled condition, unpuddled condition, N levels, water productivity, yield.