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A field experiment was conducted during the rabi (winter) seasons of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 at the Central Research Farm under Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India, to study the effects of planting techniques, irrigation regimes, and nursery bed management on the growth, yield, nutrient dynamics, water productivity, and economics of summer rice (cv. Shatabdi) production. The experiment was performed in a strip-split plot design with twelve treatment combinations, which were replicated three times. The design consisted of two types of transplanted rice establishment methods (viz., puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and nonpuddled transplanted rice (NPTR)) allocated to the main plot, three irrigation regimes (three-day intervals; six-day intervals; nine-day intervals) allocated to the subplot, and two nursery bed management practices (conventional seedbed and improved seedbed) allocated to the subplot. Higher growth attributes, such as plant height, tiller count, biomass, and LAI, were found under nonpuddled conditions at the time of harvesting. Similarly, a three-day irrigation interval and improved seedlings led to better growth traits. The yield attributes and yield varied nonsignificantly among the crop establishment methods. However, the lowest irrigation intervals accounted for 53.78% and 43.02% greater grain yield than did the nine-day intervals in two consecutive years, respectively, and produced statistically similar yields with six-day intervals. The percentage of seedlings transplanted from improved seedbeds was 4.01 and 4.13% greater than that from conventional seedlings. A similar trend was observed for both input and irrigation water productivity, except that the nine-day irrigation interval resulted in significantly greater water productivity than did the other intervals. The treatment consisted of nonpuddled transplanted rice along with six six-day irrigation intervals and improved seedbed management, resulting in the highest net return and benefit:cost ratio due to the low production cost. Thus, it can be concluded that transplanting seedlings into nonpuddled soil from an improved seedbed with intermittent irrigation might be the most judicious and recommended in terms of productivity as well as profitability for summer rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice holds key importance in food and nutritional security across the globe. Nutrient management involving rice has been a matter of interest for a long time owing to the unique production environment of rice. In this research, an artificial neural network-based prediction model was developed to understand the role of individual nutrients (N, P, K, Zn, and S) on different plant parameters (plant height, tiller number, dry matter production, leaf area index, grain yield, and straw yield) of rice. A feed-forward neural network with back-propagation training was developed using the neural network (nnet) toolbox available in Matlab. For the training of the model, data obtained from two consecutive crop seasons over two years (a total of four crops of rice) were used. Nutrients interact with each other, and the resulting effect is an outcome of such interaction; hence, understanding the role of individual nutrients under field conditions becomes difficult. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the role of individual nutrients in achieving crop growth and yield using an artificial neural network-based prediction model. The model predicts that growth parameters such as plant height, tiller number, and leaf area index often achieve their maximum performance at below the maximum applied dose, while the maximum yield in most cases is achieved at 100% N, P, K, Zn, and S dose. In addition, the present study attempted to understand the impact of individual nutrients on both plant growth and yield in order to optimize nutrient recommendation and nutrient management, thereby minimizing environmental pollution and wastage of nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering nutrient delivery and micronutrient use efficiency problems, mesoporous nanosilica (mNs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based iron and zinc nanocomposites were formulated. Prepared nanocomposites were characterized for FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and AAS to examine surface functional groups, morphology, and structural composition. XRD spectrum confirmation with SAED image of nanosilica and graphene oxide nanocomposites confirms the polycrystalline and crystalline nature with 30–70-nm crystal size. The SEM revealed that the modified surface of mesoporous nanosilica and reduced graphene oxide are well-distributed clusters and are composed of targeted micronutrients. The impact of nano Fe and Zn foliar application was evaluated on rice grain fortification, productivity, and micronutrient use efficiency. The iron and zinc uptake at 60 days after sowing (DAT) and at harvest was significantly increased with foliar application of mNs and rGO-based Zn at 30 ppm + Fe at 5 ppm nanocomposites as well as led to nutrient fortification by increasing grain uptake and content, with the application of 30 ppm zinc and 5 ppm iron through mNs resulted in an improvement of the rice grain yield by 53% over conventional fertilization. Besides significant increment in grain yield, foliar application of mNs and rGO-based nanocomposites (Zn at 30 ppm + Fe at 5 ppm) increased the Zn and Fe use efficiency by 527 and 380%, respectively, over conventional micronutrient fertilization (ZnSO4 and FeSO4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weed management has become the most important and inevitable aspect of crop management for achieving a higher rice yield. Nowadays, chemical herbicide application has become a popular practice for managing weeds in different rice cultures. However, herbicide application can have qualitative and quantitative impacts on soil microorganisms and soil enzymes, particularly in the case of new herbicide molecules and their indiscriminate use for a longer period. Further, different rice establishment methods also play a significant role in soil microbial population dynamics as well as soil biological properties. Keeping these in view, a field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Main Research Farm, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), India, during the kharif season of 2016 and 2017, on the impact of crop establishment methods and weed management practices on soil microbial and enzymatic status. The field experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications with four crop establishment methods in the main plot, viz., M1, Direct Seeded Rice (DSR); M2, Wet Seeded Rice (WSR); M3,Unpuddled Transplanted Rice (NPTR); M4, Puddled Transplanted Rice (PTR), and six weed management practices in the sub-plot, viz., W1, Weedy check; W2, Bensulfuron methyl 0.6% + Pretilachlor 6% (pre-emergence (PE)) 0.660 kg ha−1 + Hand weeding (HW) at 30 days after sowing/transplanting (days after sowing/transplanting (DAS/T)); W3, Bensulfuron methyl 0.6% + Pretilachlor 6% (PE) 0.495 kg ha−1 + HW at 30 DAS/T; W4, Bensulfuron methyl 0.6% + Pretilachlor 6% (PE) 0.495 kg ha−1 + Bispyribac-Sodium (post-emergence(POE)) 0.025 kg ha−1 at 15 DAS/T; W5, Cono weeding (CW) at 15 DAS/T + hand weeding 30 DAS/T, and W6, Brown manuring/Green manuring. The initial decline in the microbial population was observed due to herbicide application in NPTR and PTR up to 7 DAS/T and then it increased up to 28 DAS/T. There was a reduction in soil microbial and enzymatic status after the application of herbicides Bensulfuron methyl 0.6% + Pretilachlor 6% (PE) and Bispyribac-Sodium (POE) that again followed an upward graph with crop age. Significant variation in enzymatic activity and the microbial count was also observed among treatments involving crop establishment methods. The study revealed that improved microbial population and enzyme activity were noted in unpuddled transplanted rice under organic weed management due to favorable conditions, and chemical weed control initially affected microbial population and activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is the staple food of one-third of world population and the productivity needs to increase to feed the growing population with efficient water management practices and water saving technologies. In this regard, a field experiment was conducted in South Odisha during summer of 2018-19 which was laid out in split-plot design with three replications. The treatments were comprised of three water regimes in main plot viz., continuous ponding, continuous soil saturation and saturation after hair crack and four transplanting dates in sub plots, namely, transplanting on January 23 and 31, February 6 and 13. The continuous ponding recorded the maximum yield attributes like panicle length (20.04 cm), 1000 grain weight (23.46g), filled grains/panicle (73.90) along with grain yield (4.57 t/ha), net return (Rs. 50228/ha) and B:C ratio (1.07). Transplanting of rice on 23rd January resulted in increase in number of effective tillers (8.29), 1000 grain weight (23.46 g), filled grains/panicle (72.54), grain yield (4.72 t/ha), net return (Rs. 54385/ha) and B:C ratio (1.19) over other dates of transplanting. The study clearly revealed that continuous ponding and saturation exerted higher productivity when transplanted on January 23 under South Odisha conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is the staple food crop of India and for sustainable production of rice integrated nutrient management is advised. In this regard, a field experiment was conducted during summer season of 2019-20 at Bagusala Farm (23o39'N latitude and 87o42'E longitude) of M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Gajapati, Odisha under sandy clay loam soil conditions. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replication and eight treatments. The treatments were 100% RDN (recommended dose of nitrogen), 75% RDN+25% N through vermicompost, 75% RDN+25% N through FYM (farmyard manure), 50% RDN+50% N through vermicompost, 50% RDN+50% N through FYM, 50% RDN+25%N through vermicompost+25% N through FYM, 25% RDN+ 25% N through vermicompost + 50% N through FYM, control (no fertilizer). The rice variety RNR 15048 was used. The treatments with 75% RDN along with 25% vermicompost recorded better results in terms of yield attributes, namely, number of panicle/m2 (213.3), panicle length (24.5 cm), number of spikelets/panicle (140.7), number of filled grain/panicle (123.3) and grain and straw yields (5.18 t/ha and 7.31 t/ha respectively). The uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K)by rice was more (85.6, 28.1 and 128.7 kg/ha respectively) with 75% RDN+25% N through vermicompost and the treatment also showed maximum value of N (255.0 kg/ha), P (16.7 kg/ha) and K (144.0 kg/ha) in postharvest soil. From the present study it may be recommended that integrated nutrient management in summer rice in south Odisha involving application of 75% RDN with 25% N through vermicompost can be opted for improving productivity and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted during 2015-16 at farmers' field of Binuria (23 °40'N and 87 °39'E) village of Birbhum, West Bengal, under the red and lateritic belt. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with eight treatments and three replications for assessing the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of summer rice. The plot size was 5 × 4 m and the treatment combinations were : T1 : Control, T2 : 25% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN)+75% poultry manure, T3 : 50% RDN+50% poultry manure, T4 : 75% RDN+25% poultry manure, T5 : 100% RDN, T6 : 25% RDN+75% farm yard manure (FYM), T7 : 50% RDN+50% FYM and T8 : 75% RDN+25% FYM. The rice variety IR-36 showed positive influence on integrated nutrient management and resulted in significantly greater values of growth and yield attributes and yield of summer rice. The recommended dose of nutrients was 120 : 60 : 60 kg/ha of N : P2O5 : K2O of summer rice, respectively. The treatments with 75% RDN+25% poultry manure (T4) and 75% RDN+25% FYM (T8) recorded better performance compared to other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous mono-cropping of rice has resulted in decline or stagnation of yield output due to the occurrence of multiple nutrient deficiencies and worsening of soil physicochemical properties accompanying increased pressure of insect pests and diseases. The basic concept of integrated nutrient management (INM) is maintenance or adjustment of soil fertility and supply of plant nutrients to an optimum level for sustaining the desired crop productivity through optimisation of benefits from all possible sources of plant nutrients in an integrated way. Augmenting a rice-based cropping system with pulses is a prevalent and indigenous cropping system under rainfed conditions. Considering the above facts, experiments were conducted to evaluate the impacts of integrated nutrient management on productivity of aromatic rice–greengram cropping system and nutrient balance of the post-harvest soil for agricultural sustainability under rainfed conditions in two consecutive years (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) with six main plots and three subplots. The experimental findings revealed that the treatment comprised of 50% recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF) through chemicals + 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (FYM) increased the plant height, tillers, dry matter accumulation, leaf area and leaf area duration, and yield parameters in short grain aromatic rice. Similarly, preceding application of 50% RDF + 50% RDN through FYM to rice and further application 75% RDF + Rhizobium+ phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to greengram increased the growth characteristics and yield parameters—such as pods/plant, seeds/pod, grain yield, stover yield, and harvest index—in greengram. It was concluded that the treatment consisting of 50% RDF (chemical fertiliser) + 50% RDN (FYM) to rice and 75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB to greengram increased the productivity of the rice–greengram cropping system. Furthermore, the adoption of INM has positively impacted post-harvest soil nutrient balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The underground water and water storage reservoirs are rapidly depleting due to nominal recharging by the rainfalls making water a scarce resource for irrigation resulting in poor crop growth and production. Irrigation water application should focus on the proficient use of each drop of water. Water productivity (WP) in agriculture can be improved through crop diversification, proper land and water management techniques. Considering this, a field investigation was carried out during 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 to study the crop response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) + okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) system to land configurations and irrigation regimes. Three raised-sunken beds (RSB) having width (m) ratios of 1:3, 2:3, 3:3 and two irrigation schedules viz. continuous standing water (CSW) of 5 ± 2 cm depth and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) at 3 ± 1 days interval for rice in sunken bed were tested. Rice yield was more (4.36 and 4.89 Mg ha−1) under CSW irrigation than AWD irrespective of raised bed width. The highest okra yield was noted by 14.09 and 15.43 Mg ha−1 with AWD in 1:3 RSB systems, whereas the lowest yield was recorded in CSW 1:3 RSB systems. Rice equivalent yield (REY) was found as the maximum in AWD than CSW irrespective of raised and sunken bed configurations. The AWD in 3:3 RSB systems exhibited the highest WP of 1.02 and 1.01 kg m−3 during the first and second year of study, respectively. Wider RSB system of land configuration ratio of 3:3 saved about 40–45% of irrigation water. Such information will help in the planning of an innovative intercropping system of summer rice + okra in the field by changing the land configuration to the raised bed and sunken bed with the AWD irrigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice, the predominant food crop in India, is being grown traditionally with improper plant nutrient management mostly under the flooded situation. Recent advancement in research on crop science focuses on water-saving rice technologies for maximization in crop and water productivity under the backdrop of a shrinking water resource base for ensuring environmental and agricultural sustainability. Under this situation, an experiment was conducted in two consecutive years in a split-plot design keeping rice cultivation methodologies, viz., aerobic culture, System of Rice Intensification (SRI), and conventional flooded culture in main plots and integrated plant nutrient management (INM) treatments in sub-plots. The experiment was aimed at understanding the effects of different rice production systems and INM on nutrient content, uptake, and use efficiency. The change in soil quality parameters was also studied to understand the impact of crop establishment methods (CEM) and INM options. Significant reduction (p ≤ 0.05) in nutrient uptake and use efficiency was observed under aerobic culture compared to SRI and flooded method, although aerobic culture showed the highest physiological nitrogen use efficiency. Post-harvest available Fe status was significantly lower in aerobic rice (mean 10.39 ppm) compared to other crop establishment technologies; however, Zn status was higher in aerobic rice over the flooded situation. Although available potassium was not affected due to rice cultivation methods, available nitrogen and phosphorus status were influenced remarkably. Soil microbial quality was improved in aerobic rice in comparison to flooded rice. SRI proved to be the most efficient rice establishment method for enhancement in nutrient uptake, use efficiency, and enrichment of soil chemical and microbiological quality. Irrespective of crop culture, integrated plant nutrition in rice improved the nutrient uptake, use efficiency, and soil quality parameters. The study revealed that, under the alluvial soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of Eastern India, SRI can be considered as a water-saving rice production method. The method can also improve nutrient uptake, efficiency, and soil quality parameters if proper INM is adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the eastern part of India, rice as the most vital staple food crop supports as well the livelihood security of a vast population. Rice is mostly grown under conventional flooded culture without proper nutrient management. Crop performance, water productivity and economic profitability of rice cultivation need to be assessed under water-saving rice production methodologies with proper integrated plant nutrient management strategies using locally available low-cost nutrient sources. A field trial was conducted at the Adaptive Research Farm, Polba (58.57 m msl), Agriculture Department, West Bengal, India, during the rainy/wet seasons of 2014 and 2015 under aerobic culture, the system of rice intensification (SRI) and conventional flooded culture. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of integrated plant nutrition and water-saving rice production methodologies on the crop performance and water productivity of rice and analyse the economic profitability of rice under different nutritional management and crop production methods such as aerobic culture, conventional flooded and SRI with an objective of sustainability in rice cultivation in the agroclimatic region. The results revealed that crop productivity significantly (p ≤ 0.05) varied from 4.68 t ha−1 (average yield recorded under aerobic culture) to 6.21 t ha−1 (average yield as achieved under SRI). Cultivation of rice under aerobic and conventional culture resulted in 24.6% and 20.9% yield reduction respectively as compared to SRI. Integrating 75% of the recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through chemicals with 25% RDN from vermicompost resulted in maximum crop productivity irrespective of crop culture. Aerobic rice culture registered maximum water economy in terms of both irrigation water productivity and total productivity. The study concludes that, for maximization of economic profitability, value cost ratio and partial factor productivity of nutrients the SRI method can be adopted along with integrated nutrient management (75% of RDN through chemicals with 25% RDN from vermicompost) in the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain Zone (IGPZ) of West Bengal, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation agriculture (CA) based practices are gaining popularity in smallholder farming systems recently because they ensure soil quality and soil health, and they also reduce the total cultivation costs. However, weeds are a major hinderance to achieving the desired yield of crops in cereal-based cropping systems under CA-based practices. Proper weed management is a big challenge for crop growers to reduce the labor demand and cost of production. Considering these burning issues, a field study was done with a CA-based rice–wheat–mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) cropping pattern in two consecutive years (2017–2018 and 2018–2019). The study aimed to understand the types and distribution of weeds in non-puddled rice fields and also in strip-planted wheat fields in sandy loam textured soil with low organic matter (0.87%) content. Furthermore, we also tried to discover the most economic and effective ways to manage weeds in both cereals of the cropping pattern. The performance of two herbicides—pendimethalin (as pre-emergence) and carfentrazone–ethyl + isoproturon (as post-emergence)—for strip-planted wheat and three herbicides—two pre-emergence herbicides pretilachlor and pyrazosulfuron–ethyl as well as one post-emergence herbicide, bispyribac–sodium—for non-puddled rainy season rice were evaluated, where the 'weedy check' and 'weed free' treatments were considered as a control. In a two-year field experiment, eight weed species in the strip-planted wheat field during the first year and fourteen species in the second year were identified. Among them, three grasses such as Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. and Echinochloa colona (L.) Link and one broadleaf weed Physalis heterophylla (L.) Nees, were found to the dominant in both years. During the first season, the dominant weed species in strip-planted wheat was Physalis heterophylla (L.); Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop was dominant in the second year. In a non-puddled field of rainy season rice, eleven weed species were found in the first year and twelve species were found in the second year. Among the weed species, four types of grasses (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees, Echinochloa colona (L.) Link and Leersia hexandra (Sw.), one sedge (Fimbristylis miliacea (L.) Vahl) and four broadleaf weed species (Ludwigia decurrens (Walter), Jussiaea repens (L.), Enhydra fluctuans (Lour) and Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex DC.) were found the common in both years. The most dominant weed in non-puddled rainy season rice was Leptochloa chinensis (L.) for the first year and Alternanthera sessilis (L.) for the second year. The study revealed that the sequential application of pendimethalin as pre-emergence treatment followed by carfentrazone–ethyl + isoproturon as post-emergence treatment were most effective and economically viable for weed control in strip-till wheat because they achieved the highest grain and straw yields. For weed management in non-puddled rainy season rice, the herbicide pyrazosulfuron–ethyl applied as pre-emergence treatment and bispyribac–sodium as the post-emergence application were found to be the most effective combination to obtain a desirable yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen management is vital for economic and environmental sustainability. Asynchrony of fertilizer application with crop demand along various nitrogen losses in Eastern India leads to low fertilizer efficiency in Kharif rice. At the same time, direct-sowing is gaining popularity due to water and labor scarcity. In an experiment between 2017–2018 in West Bengal, India, the main plots represented establishment methods: conventional transplanting, TPR; direct-seeded rice, DSR; and drum seeded rice, DRR; while subplots represented nitrogen management options: farmer's practice (FP), the state-recommended (SR), nutrient expert-based (NE), Green seeker-based (GS) and LCC-based (LCC) in a split-plot design with three repetitions. Plant growth, productivity, and profitability were evaluated. All indicators of growth or production were affected by establishment methods and by N-management options. The yield enhancement of TPR and DSR over DRR was 21.1 and 16.8%, respectively, while it was enhanced by 19.21, 14.71, 6.49, and 2.52% by GS, NE, LCC, and SR, respectively, over FP. The highest net return and return per rupee invested were recorded with DSR, while both GS and NE had better economics. The results suggest that the combination of DSR establishment with GS or NE requires further studies to find climate-smart management techniques in Kharif rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability and climate change are the two major challenges to the agricultural production system. The trade-off between them is essential for higher profitability. The energy assessment is essential for judging the sustainability and vulnerability of a production system. Besides, nutrient management and weed management are equally imperative to sustainability. Thus, the present study was executed to assess the energy balance, key energy indicators and profitability of rice–maize–green gram system under different nutrient and weed management practices. Application of Brassicaceous seed meal (BSM) along with mineral fertilizer attributed the highest rice (5.62 t ha−1) and maize (6.48 t ha−1) yield which was 11.6%, 8.3% and 3.7% in maize and 10.0%, 6.2% and 8.7% in rice for the conjoint application with vermicompost, farmyard manure (FYM) and neem cake, respectively. Moreover, BSM recorded the highest net energy gain, energy use efficiency and energy efficiency ratio and the lowest specific energy in all the crops. Application of pre-emergence herbicides followed by hoeing was found to be best in all respects including yield, profitability, energy use efficiency, energy effectiveness, etc. The appropriate combination of integrated nutrient management with BSM and pre-emergence herbicide application followed by hoeing provided an additional advantage not only in terms of yield but also an efficient use of energy, profitability and environmental safety. BSM and neem cake could be the alternative organic manure in the integrated nutrient-cum-weed management module and they could be able to compensate the paucity of FYM and vermicompost in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]