Influence of Tillage Practices and Nitrogen Sources on Nitrogen Availability and Uptake of Rice

Aim: Evaluation of tillage practices and nitrogen sources on nitrogen availability in soil and nitrogen uptake of rice

Study design: The experiment was laid out in strip-plot design with different tillage practices in horizontal strip and different nitrogen sources in vertical strip and was replicated thrice.

Place and duration of study: The field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2019 and 2020 at the Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla, ANGRAU, Lam, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

Methodology: The experiment was performed with twenty treatments in strip-plot design. The horizontal strip comprised four different tillage practices and vertical strip with five different nitrogen sources. Rice variety “BPT-5204” was taken as the test variety. Observations of the crop and soil during the experimentation were recorded at regular intervals. The significance of the treatment impact was examined by the test.

Results: Among tillage practices, higher nitrogen uptake by rice grain (85.30 and 86.96 Kg ha-1) and straw (41.21 and 41.91 Kg ha-1) during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively was recorded in conventional tillage (T4) which was found statistically on a par with dry seeding on puddled soil (T1) (81.15 and 82.79 Kg ha-1, 38.59 and 39.20 Kg ha-1 during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively) and significantly superior over reduced tillage (T2) and minimum tillage (T3). Among nitrogen source, application of 50% STBN through fertilizer + 50% N through cured poultry manure (N5) registered the highest uptake of nitrogen in grain and straw (85.38 and 87.02 Kg ha-1. 42.09 and 42.76 Kg ha-1 during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively) and it was found significantly on a par with 75% STBN through fertilizer + 25% N through cured poultry manure (N4) and significantly superior over 50% STBN through fertilizer + 50% N through FYM (N3), 75% STBN through fertilizer + 25% N through FYM (N2), and 100% STBN through fertilizer (N1) treatment.