Elite seedling production in
modified mat nursery for rice cultivation under SRI system
A. Sabir-=
Ahamed
and V.
Soil and Water
Management Research Institute,Thanjavur<=
span
style=3D'font-family:Garamond'> – 613 501, Tamil Nadu
&=
nbsp; System
of rice intensification (SRI) is a set of soil, water, nutrient and crop
management practices, which provides better growing condition for rice plan=
ts.
Among the key components of SRI method of rice cultivation, the use of young
seedling is the single and foremost important component which contributes to
high yield. Establishment of transplanted rice seedlings depends on the gro=
wth
of new roots and associated characters of seedling. High vigor, least injury
and early recouping with least transplanting shock are the preferential
characteristics of seedlings for productivity enhancement under SRI. Theref=
ore,
vigor rich or elite seedlings are to be produced by combing various means viz., seed fortification, medium
enrichment and supplemental nutrient management to get optimum seedling gro=
wth
within 14 days after sowing (DAS).
In
an effort to produce such elite seedlings, seeds of rice variety ADT 43
possessing >80%&nbs=
p;
germination were given seed fortification treatment with 1% <=
span
class=3DSpellE>KCl and sown in the modified mat nursery containing s=
oil
medium applied with powdered DAP @ 50 g/m2, Pseudomonas fluorescence @ 6 g/m2, vermicompost
@ 0.5 kg/m2, VAM @ 50 g/m2 and A=
zophos
@ 20 g/m2 in four treatment combinations and drenched with either
0.5 % urea or 0.5 % DAP at 9DAS. For check, seeds were sown without seed
fortification in the existing modified mat nursery containing soil medium
applied with powdered DAP @ 25 g/m2 and drenched with 0.5 % urea=
at
9DAS. The biometric observations were recorded at 14 DAS.
Though,
the germination percentage was not influenced by the 1% KCl
seed fortification treatment, the seedling vigor index (germination % x
seedling dry weight) significantly improved in all the treatment combinatio=
ns
with seed fortification treatment. The treatment combination involving seed
fortification, DAP @ 50 g/m2 and Pseudomonas
fluorescence drenched with 0.5% urea improved the over all seedling vig=
or
in terms of higher root growth, seedling fresh and dry weight, tillers and leaf numbers over chec=
k. The
above combination was found to be the second best when drenched with 0.5% D=
AP.
However, the addition of vermicompost, VAM and =
Azophos to the above treatments did not produce addit=
ive or
synergistic effect in any of the growth parameters observed. Similarly, non=
e of
the treatment combinations could influence the seedling height significantl=
y.
After transplanting, the seedlings that had received K=
Cl
seed fortification, DAP @ 50 g/m2 and=
Pseudomonas fluorescence drenched =
with
0.5% urea established early in the main field with very less mortality rate.
While the above treatment added an extra cost of Rs.
1.25/ m2 to the existing modified mat nursery, inclusion of orga=
nics
to the above treatment incurred an additional cost of =
Rs.
8.15/ m2.
****