Tillers Hill-1 Research Articles

Performance of Transplant Aus Rice Varieties under Different Nitrogen Management Practices

Management of applied nitrogen in rice field is one tool that could lead to increase in rice yield, but often ignored by most farmers. The experiment was carried out from April to July 2015 at the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali to find out the influence of different nitrogen management and variety on the yield performance of transplant Ausrice. The study consisted of four levels of nitrogen viz. Control (without N), 30 kg N ha-1, 60 kg N ha-1 and urea super granule @ 52 kg N ha-1 and four Transplanted aus rice varieties viz. KaliHitta, ChaitaBoro, Abdul Hai and Gota IRRI, and was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. The levels of nitrogen were assigned in the main plot and varieties were allocated in the sub-plots. Nitrogen management, variety and their interactions exerted significant (P ≤ 0.05) influence on plant characters, yield contributing characters and yield of transplanted Aus rice. In the case of nitrogen management, the tallest plant was 161.60 cm, maximum leaf area index(2.97, the highest number of effective tillers hill-115, longest panicle 24.30 cm with the maximum number of filled grains as94.73, 1000-grain weight gave 29.97 g. Grain yield of 2.48 t ha-1 were obtained from USG @ 52 kg N ha-1 and the shortest plant height of 136.90 cm with lowest leaf area index of 1.78, lowest number of effective tillers hill-1 (8.43), shortest panicle (18.84 cm) with the lowest numbers of filled grains panicle-1 (53.18), 1000-grain weight (24.33 g) and grain yield (1.40 t ha-1) were obtained in control (N1=O, kg N ha-1). Among the varieties, ChaitaBoro gave the tallest plant height (151.60 cm) and maximum leaf area index (2.54). While the highest number of effective tillers hill-1 (12.20), longest panicle (22.42 cm) with the maximum number of filled grains panicle-1 (73.50), highest 1000-grain weight (27.41 g) and highest grain yield (2.39 t ha-1) were recorded from Gota IRRI than other varieties. In case of interaction, Gota IRRI Fertilized with USG at 52 kg N ha-1 produced the highest number of effective tillers hill-1 (16.87), panicle length (25.13 cm), number of grains panicle-1 (105.70) and grain yield (3.13 t ha-1). The lowest number of effective tillers hill-1 (8.13), lowest panicle length (17.47 cm) with minimum numbers of filled grains 47.67) and grain yield (1.12 t ha-1) were produced by the interaction of control (N1=O, kg N ha-1) and Kali Hitta. So, cultivation of transplant Aus rice (Gota IRRI) appeared to be the best performance with USG @ 52 kg N ha-1 and recommended to the end users.

Performance of Stress Tolerant Rice Variety Swarna Shreya Under Rainfed Drought-Prone Areas of South Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha

Stress like drought is an important production constraint that drastically reduces rice yield. The present study was conducted during kharif season of 2019 through the front line demonstrations in Malkangiri district of South Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha to evaluate the performance of drought tolerant rice variety Swarna Shreya with recommended package (demonstrated technology) of practices. Rice variety Sahabhagi dhan was considered as local check (farmers practice). Performance of Swarna Shreya was better in terms of plant height (110.4 cm), number of tillers hill-1 (17.8), panicle length (23.5 cm), number of grains panicle-1 (162), test weight (23.4 g) with yield of 42.4 q ha-1. In terms of yield, it was 15.2% more with Swarna Shreya as compared to local check Sahabhagi dhan. Highest economic return with more B: C ratio (1.8) was also recorded with Swarna shreya. So, drought tolerant rice variety Sahabhagi dhan can be replaced with Swarna Shreya for more yield and higher economic return in rainfed upland ecosystem of South Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha.

SEED GERMINATION BEHAVIOUR, SEEDLING GROWTH, MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF RICE GROWN IN CADMIUM-ADDED SOIL

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of cadmium (Cd) stress on germination, morphology, physiology and yield of rice. There were five treatments, viz. control (no Cd), 0.5 mM CdCl2, 1 mM CdCl2, 1.5 mM CdCl2 and 2 mM CdCl2, carried out by a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Cadmium stress caused a significant reduction of plant height and tillers hill-1 in a dose-dependent manner. The highest decline of relative water content and SPAD value was found at 1.5 mM (11 and 16%) and 2 mM (14 and 19%) Cd stress compared to the control. The number of effective tillers hill-1, filled grains panicle-1, 1000-grain weight, length of panicle, grain yield and straw yield reduced significantly by 44, 32, 15, 24, 37 and 45%, respectively, over the control. Germination and seedling-related parameters were recorded 10 days after germination. The lowest germination percentage (27%), germination index (27%) and seedling vigour index (49%) were observed at the highest level of Cd stress in comparison to the control. Cadmium stress resulted in maximum abnormal seedlings and markedly reduced length of root and shoot as well as their fresh and dry weight. Root shoot ratio showed differential responses to Cd stress. Thus, it can be concluded that a higher level of Cd in soil has a detrimental effect on seed germination, morphology, physiology and yield of rice.

Yield Response of Short Duration HYV Aman Rice to Transplanting Times in the Coastal Region of Southwestern Bangladesh

Transplanted (T.) aman rice is the major crop in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh where most of the fields remain fallow the rest of the year due to the cultivation of late-maturing and long-duration aman rice varieties with low yield potential. Timely transplanting of short-duration HYV varieties increased grain yield and allowed the field to be cleared earlier for the next crop. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna during the monsoon (June to December) for investigating the influence of transplanting dates on growth, yield attributes, and yield of Binadhan-7. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated thrice. The experimental treatment comprised of ten transplanting dates (viz.,9 July, 16 July, 23 July, 30 July, 6 August, 13 August, 20 August, 27 August, 3 September, and 10 September) at 7 days intervals. Data recorded on different growth, yield, and yield contributing parameters were influenced substantially by the dates of transplanting. Results of this study showed that transplanting on 30 July produced the tallest plant (105.40 cm), highest tiller hill-1 (20.40), effective tillers hill-1 (17.30), panicle length (22.22 cm), number of grain panicle-1 (10.34), 1000 grain weight (22.83 g), grain yield (4.72 tha-1), straw yield (5.15 tha-1) and harvest index (47.85%) which were on parity with 6 August of transplanting. From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that from 30 July to 6 of August is optimum and recommended transplanting window for the short duration aman rice variety (Binadhan-7) in the coastal zone of southwestern Bangladesh. Furthermore, this transplanting window resulted in an early harvest and timely vacant the field for winter crop planting.

Improvement ability of male parent by gibberellic acid application to enhancing the outcrossing of cytoplasmic male sterility rice lines

The study quantified the effect of gibberellic acid (GA3) as a pre-flowering treatment for male parent Giza 178 R and the influence of male to female ratio (2R:10A, 2R:12A, 2R:14A and 2R:16A) between male (R) to female (A) for two Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS) lines (‘IR69625’ and ‘G46’) on hybrid rice seed production. The main plots were occupied by CMS lines while; GA3 application for male parent Giza 178R were arranged in the sub plots and male to female ratio was arranged in the sub-sub plots. The results indicated that, the, duration of floret opening, angle of floret opening, filaments exsertion, filaments length, anther length, plant height and number of tiller hill-1 of male parent Giza 178R were significantly at 300 g GA3 ha-1 concentration. Plant height, panicle exsertion, panicle length, flag leaf angle and 1000-grain mass of CMS were not significantly affected by the GA3 application for male parent and male to female ratio, while, number of fertile panicles hill-1, panicle mass, seed set, seed yield and harvest index of CMS lines were highly significantly affected. The highest seed yield (2.880 and 2.950 t ha-1) was obtained by CMS line IR69625A using 300 g GA3 ha-1 of male parent Giza 178R with male to female ratio of 2R:14A during both seasons.

Impacts of different nitrogen forms and doses on agronomic performance of BRRI dhan29

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important nutrients for rice cultivation and probably the hardest to maintain in soil. This experiment was conducted to investigate the impacts of different N forms and doses as urea on BRRI dhan29 during boro season in Meherpur district, Bangladesh. The two most abundant forms of urea namely granular urea (GU) and urea super granule (USG) were selected with five doses (0, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg ha-1) for each form. The treatments were replicated thrice in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). GU was broadcasted and USG was applied using deep placement method. Other fertilizers viz. triple super phosphate, muriate of potash, gypsum, and zinc sulfate were applied at 100, 70, 60, and 5 kg ha-1, respectively. Agronomic parameters were measured by randomly selecting five hills from each plot. Application of N through USG significantly improved almost all agronomic characteristics such as plant height, total and effective tiller hill-1, panicle length, total and filled grains panicle-1, straw and biological yields, grain yield, and harvest index. BRRI dhan29 produced the highest grain and straw yields with the highest dose of USG application (250 kg ha-1). The 1000-seed weight was not significantly affected by N doses or by forms that might be due to its genetically controlled trait and environmental influence during the grain filling stage. Deep placement of USG ensured adequate N supply for a longer period that resulted in enhancement of growth and yield components of BRRI dhan29.

Agronomic and Economic Analysis of Brown top Millet under Varying Sowing Dates and Nitrogen Fertility Levels

Aim: The experiment is aimed to identify ideal sowing date and nitrogen level in browntop millet during rainy season on alfisols of Telangana.
 Study Design: Randomized Block Design with factorial concept and replicated thrice.
 Place and Duration of Study: College Farm, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana State, India during rainy season, 2019.
 Methodology: Browntop millet variety VZM-1 was tested under four dates of sowing viz., D1- June 15th, D2- June 30th, D3-July 15th and D4 - 30th July and four N levels viz; N1- 0 kg ha-1 N2 - 20 kg ha-1, N1- 40 kg ha-1 and N4-60 kg ha-1. The growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, nitrogen uptake at different crop growth stages and monetary returns were studied.
 Results: The results indicated that plant height, tillers hill-1, leaf area, dry matter accumulation at all crop intervals and yield attributes viz; effective tillers, panicle length, panicle weight, number of grains, grain, straw yield, N uptake at different crop stages and monetary returns were highest with sowing on D1- June 15th.Among the N levels tested, crop fertilized with 40 kg N ha-1 registered higher plant height, tillers hill-1, leaf area, dry matter accumulation at all crop intervals, yield attributes viz; effective tillers, panicle length, panicle weight, number of grains, grain, straw yield N uptake at different crop stages and monetary returns.
 Conclusion: On alfisols of Telangana during rainy season, sowing of browntop millet on June 15th fertilized with 40 kg N ha-1 helps to realize higher yield and monetary returns.

Effect of residue and nutrient management on productivity, nutrient uptake, economics and greenhouse gas emission of rice in intensified rice-based cropping systems

A long-term field experiment was conducted at Institute research farm, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha since 2012-13. The experiment was conducted in a split plot design involving two cropping systems i.e., rice-maize-cowpea (R-M-C) and rice-groundnut-cowpea (R-G-C) covering three crops in three seasons i.e., kharif, rabi and summer, respectively in main plots and five nutrient management treatments i.e., control control - control (C-C-C), RDF-RDF - RDF (R-R-R), Residue Incorporation (RI) +75% of RDF-RDF - RDF (RI+R75-R-R), RI+ 75 % of RDF-Straw Mulching (SM) + RDF - RDF (RI+R75-SM+R-R) and RI+75 % of RDF - SM+RDF - 50 % of RDF (RI+R75-SM+R-R50) in sub-plots; where control indicates no fertilizer application to each crop of the system, RDF indicates recommended dose of fertilizers for respective crops, RI indicates cowpea residue incorporation in succeeding rice crop before transplanting and SM indicates rice straw mulching @ 6 t ha-1 in succeeding groundnut and maize. Significant improvement in growth parameters of rice i.e., plant height, tillers plant-1, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, yield i.e., grain yield, straw yield, harvest index, nutrient uptake, economic gain i.e., gross return, net return and B:C ratio, CH4 flux in cowpea residue incorporated treatments than the residue removal treatments. Cowpea residue incorporation with 75% of recommended dose of fertilizer to rice followed by straw mulching with recommended dose of fertilizer to rabi season crops i.e., maize and groundnut and recommended dose of fertilizer to summer season crops i.e., RI+R75-SM+R-R recorded 10.2% higher number of tillers hill-1, 17.1% higher LAI, 10.9% higher DMA, 8.5% higher panicles m-2 and 8.8% higher filled grains panicle-1 than recommended dose of fertilization to each crop i.e., R-R-R. RI+R75-SM + R-R also recorded 11.3% higher grain yield, 9.7% higher straw yield, 13.7% higher N uptake, 15.8% higher P uptake, 11.9% higher K uptake, 11.3% higher gross return, 15.1% higher net return and 25.6% less N2O emission than recommended dose of fertilization to each crop i.e., R-R-R. Cowpea residue incorporation with 25% reduction in RDF, straw mulching with RDF to rabi season crops i.e., maize and groundnut and RDF to summer season crops (RI+R75-SM+R-R) however recorded at par growth, yield, nutrient uptake and economic return to that of RI+R75-SM+R-R50. Thus, RI+R75-SM+R-R50 could be useful in achieving higher productivity and profitability from rice in an intensified rice-based cropping system.

Response of nitrogen and potassium fertilization on the growth performance of aromatic Boro rice

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during December 2017 to May 2018 to study growth performance of aromatic Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan50) in response to nitrogen and potassium fertilization. The experiment consisted of four levels of nitrogen viz., 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1, and four levels of potassium viz., 0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that nitrogen and potassium fertilization and their interaction exerted significant influence on growth performance of BRRI dhan50. Application of 100 kg N ha-1 produced the tallest plant (82.17 cm), the highest number of tillers hill-1 (10.08) and chlorophyll content (52.21) at heading stage. While, application of 90 kg K ha-1 produced the tallest plant (81.44 cm) at physiological maturity stage, the highest number of tillers hill-1 (9.66) and chlorophyll content (51.54) at heading stage. In case of interaction, the tallest plant (85.33 cm), the highest number of tillers hill-1 (10.83) and chlorophyll content (58.28) were obtained from 100 kg N ha-1 along with 90 kg K ha-1 at heading stage. Therefore, application of 100 kg N ha-1 along with 90 kg K ha-1 interaction appeared as the promising practice in aromatic rice (cv. BRRI dhan50) cultivation in terms of growth performance.

Response of Some Improved Upland Rice Varieties to Different Sources and Rates of Nitrogen Fertilizer in A Humid Rain Forest Region

ABSTRACT
 Nitrogen (N) is a major lacking nutrient element for the growth and yield of cereal crops Calabar, it is necessary to determine the response different sources and rates of N in four varieties of upland rice. Treatments comprised factorial combinations of the four rice varieties (NERICA 1, NERICA 2, FARO 45, FARO 48), three straight inorganic N sources (urea, Calcium ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate) and four levels of N (0, 30, 60, 90 kg N ha-1) laid in randomized complete block design. The N was split applied twice; one-third at the beginning of tillering and the remainder at panicle initiation. The results showed that the source of fertilizer N did not affect significantly the growth and yield of the rice crop (p=0.05). Considering that soils in Calabar are acid sands it will not be advisable to consistently apply such acidifying fertilizers as ammonium sulphate or urea except with soil liming which will undoubtedly increase the cost of production and probably make it unprofitable to cultivate rice in the area. The fertilized crop grew taller and produced more biomass compared with the control. It also produced significantly more tillers hill-1, panicles m-2, grains panicle-1, weight of 1,000 grains and grain yield. However, whereas NERICA 1, NERICA 2 and FARO 45 were more responsive to lower N levels, the grain yield of FARO 48 was significantly higher when the crop received 90 kg N ha-1 compared with other varieties, probably because of its longer growth duration in the field. The responsiveness of these varieties to low N application was the result of their higher grain yield resulting from enhanced N use efficiency. Genotypes that were most responsive to low N input levels were early maturing with high N-use efficiencies. On the basis of grain yield, it is recommended that for high yield in the humid region of Cross River State, N should be applied at the rate of 60 kg ha-1 for early- and 90 kg ha-1 or above for the medium-maturing upland rice varieties.
 Keywords: Rice, Varieties, Growth and Yield

Organic soil amendments using vermicomposts under inoculation of N2-fixing bacteria for sustainable rice production.

Organic and biological fertilizers are considered as a very important source of plant nutrients. A field experiment was conducted during 2017−2018 in paddy soil to investigate the effect of vermicomposting of cattle manure mixture with Azolla and rice straw on soil microbial activity, nutrient uptake, and grain yield under inoculation of N2-fixing bacteria. Experimental factors consisted of organic amendments at six levels (vermicomposts prepared from manure (VM); manure + rice straw (VRM); manure + Azolla mixture (VAM); manure + rice straw + Azolla mixture (VRAM); raw manure without vermicomposting (M), and a control) and N2-fixing bacteria at three levels (Azotobacter chroococcum, Azospirillum brasilence, and non−inoculation). The results showed that, vermicompost treatments compared to control and raw manure significantly increased the number and biomass−C of soil microorganisms, urease activity, number of tillers hill−1, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake, and grain and protein yield. Inoculation of plants with N2-fixing bacteria, especially Azotobacter increased the efficiency of organic amendments, so that the maximum urease activity, soil microbial activity, P and N uptake, and grain yield (4,667 (2017) and 5,081 (2018) kg/h) were observed in vermicompost treatments containing Azolla (VAM and VRAM) under inoculation with Azotobacter. The results of the study suggested that, using an organic source along with inoculation with appropriate N2-fixing bacteria for vermicompost has a great effect on enzyme activity, soil biology, nutrient uptake and grain yield has a synergistic interaction on agronomic traits under flooded conditions. Therefore, this nutrient method can be used as one of the nutrient management strategies in the sustainable rice production.

Effect of Variety and Planting Arrangement on Weed Control and Yield Performance of Transplanted Aman Rice

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during June to November 2016 in order to find out the effect of variety and planting arrangement on weed control and yield performance of transplanted Aman rice. The experiment consisted of four varieties viz., Binadhan-7, Binadhan-12, Binadhan-17 and Binadhan-16 and five planting arrangement viz. 25cm × 20cm, 25cm × 15cm, 20cm × 20cm, 20cm × 15cm and 15cm × 15cm. The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design with three replications. Results indicated that the highest weed density (90.93 m-2), weed biomass (131.87 gm-2), leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value) (40.02), sterile spikelets panicle-1 (76.86) ,% sterility panicle-1 (28.66), grain yield (4.51 t ha-1) and straw yield (4.63 t ha-1) were obtained from Binadhan-17. The variety Binadhan-7 showed the best performance in respect of number of total tillers hill-1 (11.06), number of effective tillers hill-1 (10.12) compared to the other varieties used in the study. The highest leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value) (36.48), plant height (99.72 cm), panicle length (22.03 cm), number of total tillers hill-1 (10.21) and number of effective tillers hill-1 (9.45) were found at 25 cm × 20 cm planting arrangement. The highest grain yield (4.31 t ha-1) was recorded from 20cm × 15cm planting arrangement. The interaction between variety and planting arrangement showed numerically higher grain yield (5.38 t ha-1) from Binadhan-7 at 20cm × 15cm planting arrangement, whereas the lowest grain yield (2.61 t ha-1) was achieved from the variety Binadhan-12 at 15cm × 15cm planting arrangement. It can be concluded that Binadhan-7 at 20cm × 15cm planting arrangement may be used for achieving the best yield with less weed interference in Aman season.

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

Growth and Yield Performance of Selected Wheat Genotypes at Variable Irrigation Management

Weed control efficacy of combined application of grass pea and mustard crop residues in T. aman rice

Among different methods of weed control, allelopathy could lead to reduced labor costs and increased efficiency, without any adverse effects on the environment. In this regard, an experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to evaluate the allelopathic potential of grass pea and mustard crop residues on weed suppression and crop performance of transplanted aman rice. The experiment consisted of three cultivars of T. aman rice viz., Binadhan-7, BRRI dhan49 and BR11 and five different level of crop residues such as no use of crop residues, grass pea crop residues @ 2.5 t ha-1, mustard crop residues @ 2.5 t ha-1, combined use of grass pea and mustard crop residues @ 1 t ha-1 of each and hand weeding. All crop residues applied in the experiment suppressed weed growth and inhibition at satisfactory level. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Weed population, weed dry weight and percent inhibition of weed were not significantly influenced by the interaction effect of crop residues (grass pea and mustard) and cultivars. BR11 produced the highest grain and straw yield among the treatment combination. The highest numbers of tillers hill-1, numbers of grains panicle-1, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, straw yield were observed in hand weeding, followed by combined application of grass pea and mustard crop residues @ 1 t ha-1 of each treatment. The highest grain and straw yield (4.81 t ha-1 and 7.65 t ha-1) was observed in hand weeding along with variety BR11 and the second highest (4.19 t ha-1 and 7.36 t ha-1) was obtained from combined use of grass pea and mustard crop residues @ 1 t ha-1 of each. The results of this study indicate that hand weeding followed by combined application of grass pea and mustard crop residues @ 1 t ha-1 of each showed potential activity to suppress weed growth.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF USG AND NPK BRIQUETTE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF JHUM RICE

Two experiments were conducted at Ramery para, Bandarban sadar, Bandarban, Bangladesh hill district in Chittagong under the AEZ (Agro Ecological Zone) 29 (Northern and Eastern Hills Tract) during March 2017 to November 2017 to study of USG and NPK briquette on the performance of Jhum rice. The experiment was conducted in two field and designed on Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD). The treatments consisted of 7(seven) levels of USG (Urea Super Granule) and NPK briquette i.e. T1: Control, T2: 100% USG and PK (RFD) (267.5 kg ha-1), T3: 80% USG and PK (RFD) (214.1 kg ha-1), T4: 80% USG and PK (RFD) (320.8 kg ha-1), T5 :100%NPK briquette (267.5 kg ha-1), T6: 80% NPK briquette (214.1 kg ha-1), T7: 120% NPK briquette (320.8 kg ha-1). The growth and yield of Jhum rice were significantly influenced by different levels of USG and NPK briquette. The highest plant height of jhum rice (139.23 cm), effective tillers hill-1 (16.60), panicle length (30.23 cm), highest number of filled grain panicle-1 (245.23), 1000 grain weight (28.0 gm), straw yield (4.15 t/ha) and grain yield (3.56 t/ha) were found from T5 treatment receiving 100%NPK briquette (267.5 kg ha-1) and for all cases lowest results were found in T1 treatment receiving no fertilizer (control).

Organic Amendment on Soil Quality and Yield Performance of Dry Direct Seeded Boro Rice

An experiment was conducted at Khitrokashipur, Durgapur, Rajshahi during March to June 2018 to study the effect of organic amendment on soil quality and yield performance of dry direct seeded boro rice var. BRRI dhan28. The treatments were Trichocompost (TC), Vermicompost (VC), mustard oil cake (MOC), Trichocompost + mustard oil cake (TC+MOC), Vermicompost + mustard oil cake (VC + MOC), and no amendment control. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Trichocompost and Vermicompost were applied @ 3 t ha-1, while mustard oil cake was used @ 0.5 t ha-1. The results revealed that Trichocompost and vermicompost fertilization exerted significant influence on yield performance of BRRI dhan28 in boro season. The treatment trichocompost (T1) @ 5 t ha-1 produced the highest grain yield (5.95 t ha-1), while the mustard oil cake (T3) @ 0.5 t ha-1 the highest effective tillers hill-1 (15.33), though the highest straw yield (5.46 t ha-1) was produced in the treatment VC + MOC (T5). In case of soil properties, Trichocompost (T1) @ 3 t ha-1 and mustard oil cake (T3) @ 0.5 t ha-1 improved soil organic matter content, while Trichocompost (T1) @ 3 t ha-1 and Vermicompost (T2) @ 0.5 t ha-1 improved phosphorus and potassium content. Field capacity was greatly influenced by Trichocompost (T1) @ 3 t ha-1 and Vermicompost + mustard oil cake (T5). Soils with Trichocompost (T1) @ 3 tha-1 showed the highest bulk density. It was concluded that organic amendment greatly improved the yield performance of BRRI dhan28 and also soil physical and chemical properties under dry direct seeded boro rice cultivation system.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2020, 23(2): 103-109

Influence of integrated use of cotton seed oilcake and mustard oilcake with chemical fertilizers on growth, yield and nutritional quality of rice

Cotton seed oilcake and mustard oilcake are excellent and high quality organic manures enriched with essential nutrient elements. A field experiment was carried out at the Soil Science Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during boro season of 2019 to investigate the influence of cotton seed oilcake and mustard oilcake on yield attributes, yield, nutrient content and uptake by rice cv. BRRI dhan29. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications and seven treatments viz. T1: control, T2: 100% Recommended Fertilizer Dose (RFD), T3: 50% RFD, T4: 50% nitrogen (N) from RFD + 50% N from cotton seed oilcake, T5: 50% N from RFD + 50% N from mustard oilcake, T6: 50% N from RFD + 25% N from cotton seed oilcake + 25% N from mustard oilcake, T7: 50% N from cotton seed oilcake + 50% N from mustard oilcake. The maximum values of all the yield components viz. plant height, panicle length, number of effective tillers hill-1 and filled grains panicle-1 and yields (grain and straw) were found in treatment T2. The highest content and uptake of nutrients – N, P, K and S were also recorded in T2. The performance of T4 and T2 was statistically similar in producing yield parameters, grain and straw yields, nutrient contents and uptake by rice. Among the integrated approaches, the performance of T4 was the best as it produced the second highest grain yield of 6.24 t ha-1 and straw yield of 8.17 t ha-1 with higher nutritional improvement of rice. Application of cotton seed oilcake compensated up to 50% of chemical fertilizer. Therefore, considering the significance of organic manures and soil health, cotton seed oilcake should be considered for application in association with chemical fertilizers for yield enhancement and nutritional improvement of rice.
 Progressive Agriculture 31 (3): 144-153, 2020

Effect of Next Generation Fertilizers on Yield Potential of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of next-generation fertilizers along with other recommended fertilizers on the growth and yield during the period from January 2015 to May 2015 at the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The experiments were laid out in RCBD method with three replications. The experiment was conducted in boro rice with six treatments including control viz Treatment0=Control (no fertilizer), Treatment1=Recommended dose N140P20K60S18Zn2 kg ha-1, Treatment2=Bio-forge+N140P20K60S18Zn2, Treatment 3=Wuxal Super+N140P20K60S18Zn2, Treatment4=Root feed+N140P20K60S18Zn2, Treatment5=Nitro Plus+N140P20K60S18Zn2 and three rice varieties namely Variety1=BRRI dhan29, Variety2=BRRI dhan28 and Variety3=BRRI dhan58. Next-genaration fertilizer is a mixed fertilizer with the first generation and second generation fertilizer that provide required nutritions to plants. Among the next generation fertilizers, Bio-forge along with other recommended fertilizers performed the best compared to other treatments of the study in an aspect of growth and yield contributing characters mainly plant height, effective tiller hill-1, panicle length, filled grain panicle-1, 1000-grain weight, harvest index and grain yield (8.61 t ha-1). Among the varieties, BRRI dhan29 showed the best performance compared to the other two treatments. The next generation fertilizer viz. Bio-forge and Root feed along with other recommended fertilizers would be ideal for better crop growth and yield.

Effect of Seedlings Age and Nutrient Combinations on Growth and Yield of Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) in Lateritic Soils of Western Ghats

Background: Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) was considered a self-pollinated annual crop that belongs to the family Poaceae. It was well adapted to many soil and climatic conditions. The productivity was low due to the use of poor quality seed, little or no use of fertilizers, traditional methods of cultivation, delay in nursery sowing and late transplanting. The Integrated Nutrient Supply System (INSS) approach involves the combined use of chemical fertilizers, organic manures and micronutrient fertilizers, which ensures higher crop productions and also helps to restore and sustain soil fertility. Therefore, the study was focused to manage the timely transplanting together with the suitable nutrient combination.Methods: A field experiment was conducted to study the “Effect of seedlings age and different nutrient combinations on growth and yield of Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) in lateritic soils of Western Ghats” during Kharif, 2016. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four main plots and five subplot treatments. The main plot treatments composed of four ages of seedlings viz. 20, 30, 40 and 50 days. and five subplot treatments of nutrient combinations viz., 100% RDF, 75% RDF + 25% N through FYM, 50% RDF + 50% N through FYM, 25% RDF + 75% N through FYM and 100% N through FYM. Thus, there were twenty treatment combinations, replicated thrice.Result: Results revealed that the proso millet crop transplanted with 30 days old seedlings recorded significantly higher grain yield and straw yield over all other treatments. In nutrient combinations treatments, 100% RDF through chemical fertilizer recorded significantly higher mean plant height hill-1, number of functional leaves hill-1, number of functional tillers hill-1 and plant dry matter accumulation hill-1 than the other treatments and also produced significantly highest yields and yield attributing characters compared to the rest of the nutrient combinations.

Aqueous Extract of Mustard Crop Residues on Weed Management and Crop Performance of Wheat

Allelopathy is expected to be an important mechanism in the plant invasion process. The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of mustard crop residues on weed management and crop performance of wheat. The experiment consisted of three cultivars of wheat viz., BARI Gom 19, BARI Gom 21, BARI Gom 24 and five levels of aqueous extract such as no crop residues (C0), mustard crop residues: chaffed leaves soaked in water in 1:20 ratio (w/v) (C1), 1:30 ratio (w/v) (C2), 1:40 ratio (w/v) (C3), hand weeding (C4). The maximum weed growth was noticed with the cultivar BARI Gom 19 and the minimum was found in the cultivar BARI Gom 21. The grain yield as well as the other yield contributing characters produced by BARI Gom 21was the highest among the studied varieties. The highest percent inhibition of all weed species was caused by hand weeding. The highest numbers of tillers hill-1, numbers of grains spike-1, 1000 grain weight, grain yield and straw yield were observed where hand weeding is done and followed by the application of aqueous extract in 1:20 ratio (w/v). BARI Gom 21 cultivar with all treatments produced the highest grain and straw yield among the treatment combination. The results indicate that different amount of aqueous extract of mustard crop residues showed potential activity to suppress weed growth and it has a significant effect on the yield of wheat. Therefore, mustard crop residues might be used as an alternative way for weed management in effective and sustainable crop production.
 SAARC J. Agri., 18(2): 17-26 (2020)