Study on Growth Parameters and Yield of Spring Rice Hardinath-1 as Influenced by Different Planting Methods in Bardiya District of Nepal

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a major staple crop and the principal food grain crop in Nepal, which ranked in first position among cereal crops in terms of area, production, and preference. It can be grown in different agroclimatic conditions from the terai to the high hills. Rice cultivation methods can vary based on the technology and resources available to farmers. Rice transplanting is a crucial step in rice cultivation and can be done manually or mechanically. It influences plant establishment, resource efficiency, growth uniformity, and overall yield. A field experiment was carried out in a farmer's field to evaluate the different rice planting methods of spring rice seedlings at Geruwa rural municipality of Bardiya during the spring season of 2024. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with five replications and four treatments. Treatments were 4-wheeler transplanting, 3-wheeler transplanting, manual transplanting, and direct seeding using a drum seeder. Ten sample plants from each treatment plot were taken for the collection of data on phenology, growth parameters, and yield attributing characters. Significant differences among planting methods were observed for plant height, number of tillers, effective tillers, grain yield, and harvest index, while thousand-grain weight did not differ significantly among treatments. In terms of plant height, the plant transplanted by a 4-wheeler had the highest (100.14 cm), whereas direct seeded by a drum seeder was the smallest at 90.60 cm. Plant transplanted by 4-wheeler led in effective tillers count of 371.18 tillers/square meter, followed by 3-wheeler and manually transplanted plant with tiller numbers 342.06 and 319.68 per square meter, respectively, while DSR by drum seeder produced 294.46 tillers/square meter. Maximum grain yield (0.52kg/m²) and harvest index (0.23) were found in rice transplanted by a 4-wheeler. The plant transplanted by a 4-wheeler had the longest panicle of 25.32 cm, whereas the drum-seeder treatment had the shortest (23.86cm). The plant transplanted by a 4-wheeler had the highest thousand-grain weight (21.6 gm), whereas the manually transplanted and DSR by drum seeder had the lowest (20.8 gm). Based on the results, the 4-wheeler showed the best result in terms of grain yield and biomass yield as compared to other methods. Therefore, the 4-wheeler transplanting method could be recommended for higher grain yield to the spring rice growers.