Influence of sowing methods and weed suppression strategies on the agronomic performance, yield and quality of paddy crops

Abstract:

During the 2022 and 2023 kharif seasons, a field trial was set up to examine how different crop-establishment approaches and weed-control regimes affect the growth, yield and grain quality of paddy. Four establishment methods were compared transplanted rice, direct seeded rice, drum-seeded rice and the System of Rice Intensification alongside four weed-management regimes: a single post-emergence spray of Nominee Gold (25 g active ingredient ha⁻¹) at 25 days after sowing/transplanting; the same spray followed by one hand weeding at 40 days after sowing/transplanting; two rounds of hand weeding at 20 and 40 days after sowing/transplanting; and an unweeded control. These sixteen combinations were laid out in a split-plot design replicated three times. Two hand weedings at 20 and 40 days after sowing/transplanting produced the tallest plants, the greatest shoot density per square metre, the highest dry-matter accumulation, the best grain yield and the highest nitrogen uptake among the weed-control regimes tested. Among the establishment methods, the System of Rice Intensification gave the tallest plants, greatest shoot count per square metre, highest dry-matter accumulation, best grain yield and highest grain-and-straw nitrogen content.