Effect of preceding short-duration summer forage crops and gypsum-enriched urea on productivity of aromatic rice

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during summer-kharif (April-November) seasons of 2006 and 2007 at the research farm of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to study the effect of preceding short-duration summer forage crops and gypsum-enriched urea on productivity of aromatic rice. The experimental soil was sandy clay loam having pH of 7.5, organic carbon content 0.53%, total N 0.05%, available P 14.5 kg/ha, available K 247.0 kg/ha and available S 9.94 mg/kg soil. The experiment was carried out with 4 treatments during summer seasons in main plot viz. maize, cowpea, maize + cowpea and fallow and their residual effect along with 5 gypsum-enriched urea (GEU) levels in sub-plots viz. absolute control, 0, 5, 10 and 15% in split plot design with 3 replication in succeeding aromatic rice. Different treatments of preceding short-duration summer forage crops and GEU levels i.e. absolute control, 0, 5, 10 and 15% had significant effect on growth parameters viz. plant height, number of tillers/hill at 30, 60, and 90 DAT. Most of the yield attributes of aromatic rice viz. panicle length, panicle weight (g), filled grains/panicle and grain weight/panicle were influenced significantly due to preceding short-duration forage crops and various levels of GEU. Significantly higher grain, straw and biological yield as well as harvest index of aromatic rice was recorded when it was grown after the harvest of proceeding short-duration summer forage cowpea crop and 15% GEU. Various preceding short-duration summer forage crops had significant effect on nutrients concentrations viz. N, P, K, S, Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe in aromatic rice grain and straw.