Influence of nutrient management and establishment methods on yield and economics of rice in calcareous soils of Bihar

The present investigation was carried out at Research Farm, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa, Bihar during kharif 2018 on calcareous sandy loam soil. The experiment was laid-out in a split-plot design (SPD). The main-plot treatments included three crop establishment methods, viz. puddled transplanted rice (M1-TPR), wet direct-seeded rice (M2-DSR-wet) and dry direct-seeded rice (M3-DSR-dry). In sub-plots, five different nutrient management methods were T1 (100% STCR Based Dose of Fertilizer + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1), T2 (75% DF + 25% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost), T3 (100% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost), T4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) and T5 (50% DF + 25% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) were replicated thrice under each method. The results found that the plant height, yield attributing characters(number of tillers per meter square, number of panicles per meter square, filled grains per panicles and test weight) and yield recorded significantly higher values under transplanted rice with T4 (100% DF + 50% STCR based Recommended Dose of Nitrogen through Vermicompost) recording significantly higher values among different nutrient management systems. The economics of all the cultivation practices recorded higher B:C ratio (0.73) and net returns (₹ 34684 ha-1) under DSR-wet with T1 (100% STCR Based Dose of Fertilizer + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1) giving farmers an alternative method for rice production.