Abstract
Eight levels of soil manipulations broadly classified in three groups (I) dibbling, (II) plow-planting, and (III) plowing, harrowing, and planting were tried on lateritic sandy clay loam soil of West Bengal (India) over a 2-year period, 1961–62, to ascertain the minimum level of tillage required for upland paddy, without sacrificing the yield.Plowing, harrowing, and planting of the soil (group III) significantly increased the grain yield and number of fertile tillers per meter row over the treatments of dibbling (group I) and plow-planting (group II). The latter treatments did not effectively reduce weed infestation, while the former brought about somewhat better control and the crop attained better growth, comparatively weed-free. The growth factors, height, leaf area, and dry matter, were directly related to grain yield with high correlation coefficients. Among the three treatments of group III, the treatment of one plowing with moldboard plow, one harrowing with disk harrow, and planting, gave yields very close to the conventional tillage, i.e. plowing four times with country plow, harrowing, and planting. Hence, the former is considered to be the minimum requirement of soil manipulation for this crop.
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