The effect of seedling age, depth of planting and fertilizer placement on the growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

1. Early transplanting of seedlings resulted in the production of rice plants with greater total tiller and leaf number, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina, greater height, greater total fresh weight yield and yield of grain than late transplanting.2. Early transplanting reduced the number of days from seeding to ear emergence.3. Deep transplanting favoured greater leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater maximum tiller number and reduced the percentage tiller mortality.4. Deep placement of fertilizer resulted in the production of plants with greater tiller and total leaf numbers, greater height, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater total fresh weight and grain dry weight than surface placement.5. Deep placement of fertilizer hastened the time of ear emergence of late transplanted seedlings.6. The practical significance of these findings is that early transplanting of seedlings (30 days old), shallow transplanting, and deep placement of fertilizer will lead to greater yield of the rice variety BG 79.