To assess the effect of different levels of nitrogen and inoculation of Azospirillum on crop growth and yield of paddy

The present investigation entitled “Influence of different levels of nitrogen and Azospirillum inoculation on direct seeded rice in a Vertisol” was carried out in the experimental filed (Vertisol) of the Department of Soil Science & Agrilcultural Chmeitry, JNKVV, Jabalpur during Kharif 2015. The experiment was laid out with total 8 treatment combinations replicated thrice under randomized block design in different 24 plots each of 3 m x 4 m. The treatments were constituted with different combinations of 3 levels of fertilizer nitrogen (50, 75 and 100% of recommended dose of N) and inoculation of carrier based Azospirillum (as inoculated and uninoculated) including one control of unfertilized and uninoculated. The response from the treatment of RDN75%+Azospirillum was recorded statistically superior in enhancing growth of the crop viz., length of root and shoot, chlorophyll content, number of tiller/hill and other plant growth parameters. The same treatment combination of RDN75%+Azospirillum was found statistically and economically best to increase yields of grain and straw of paddy by 110.58 and 39.44%, respectively. While the treatment of RDN100%+Azospirillum exhibited numerically higher values for the above parameters but these were at par to that of RDN75%+Azospirillum.