Tillage based Crop Establishment Methods and Zinc Application Enhances Productivity, Grain Quality, Profitability and Energetics of Direct-Seeded Rice in Potentially Zinc-Deficient Soil in the Subtropical Conditions of India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Direct-seeded rice is becoming an alternative to puddled transplanted rice in Indo-Gangetic Plain due to looming water scarcity and shortage of labor. But poor crop establishment and zinc nutrition hinder realizing its full yield potential. Thus, an experiment on direct-seeded rice allocating three crop establishment methods in main plots and five zinc application treatments in subplots was conducted in a split-plot design with three replicates with the aim to evaluate the effect of crop establishment methods and zinc application on productivity, profitability and energetics. Conventional till-wet direct-seeded rice increased effective tillers by 16.89 and 22.98%, panicle length by 5.33 and 10.48% and panicle weight by 7.83 and 13.41% over conventional till-direct seeded rice and zero till-direct seeded rice, respectively. Furthermore, conventional till-wet direct-seeded rice yielded highest grain and straw yield. Basal application of zinc (6.0 kg ha−1) recorded higher grain (4.70–19.50%), straw (3.22–12.92%) and biological yield (3.82–15.51%) over the rest of the treatments. Besides, basal application of zinc (6.0 kg ha−1) also proved profitable and energy-efficient. Therefore, conventional till-wet direct-seeded rice with the basal application of zinc (6.0 kg ha−1) is suggested to realize higher productivity, profitability and energetics of direct-seeded rice in potentially zinc-deficient soils.