H.S. Sikka and M.S. Kahlon
Abstract
The present study was carried out at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during kharif season 2023.Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of different establishment methods and irrigation regimes on the crop growth and yield attributes of direct-seeded basmati rice (DSBR). The field was layout in split plot design with three replications with Four establishment methos i.e., T1 (Tar-wattar direct seeded basmati rice),T2 (Puddled transplaned direct seeded basmati rice),T3 (unpuddled with 5 planking operations direct seeded basmati rice)and T4 ( unpuddled with five roller operations direct seeded basmati rice) in main plot treatments and three irrigation regimes i.e., I1 (irrigation at 2 days interval),I2 (irrigation at 4 days interval), I3(irrigation at 6 days interval) were kept in sub plot treatments. The experiments were conducted where soil texture was sandy loam. Results revealed that Among establishment methods, T2 recorded the highest plant height, followed by T1 and T3, with T4 being the lowest. Similarly, T2 recorded the highest tiller density (405.67 tillers/m²), panicle length (27.34 cm), number of grains per panicle (72.22), and 1000 grain weight (27.36 g). Root development was significantly affected by establishment methods, especially in upper layers. At 0â10 cm, T2 recorded the highest root length density (1.24 cm/cm³) and root mass density (0.53 mg/cm³), followed by T4 and T3. In deeper layers (10-40 cm), T1 consistently exhibited higher RLD and RMD. The basmati grain yield which was recorded highest in T2 (4.55 t/ha) which was significantly at par with T1 (4.33 t/ha) followed by T4 and lowest in T3 (4.14 t/ha). Likewise, T2 recorded the highest straw yield (7.46 t/ha) and biological yield (12.01 t/ha). The highest water productivity was recorded under T1 (0.40 kg/m³) and at irrigation regime I3 (0.43 kg/m³) due to lower water application. Thus, Tar-wattar direct-seeded basmati rice T1 with I1 is a suitable practice under local conditions for optimizing yield and maximizing water productivity.