Impact of Planting Techniques and Nutrient Management on Crop Productivity and Profitability of Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.), India, during the kharif season (June–September) in 2019 to study the impact of planting techniques and nutrient management on the crop productivity and profitability of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The treatment comprised four planting techniques as the main (M) treatments and six fertility levels as subplot (S) treatments in a split-plot design with three replications. The results of the experimentation revealed that Conventional Tillage Transplanted rice and the combination of nitrogen chemical fertilizer with organic nitrogen from FYM (farmyard yard manure) resulted in the highest effective tillers, grains per panicle and grain yield. Conventional Tillage Transplanted rice (M2) stood out with the highest gross returns (USD 1151.27 per ha) and net returns (USD 690.03 per ha) due to its superior yield. The Reduce Tillage Transplanted rice (M1) and Unpuddled Transplanted rice (M4) techniques produced good yields, with net returns of USD 564.97 per ha and USD 634.93 per ha, respectively. Among the fertility levels, 75% NPK + 25% N FYM (S5) led with the highest gross returns (USD 1257.74 per ha) and net returns (USD 815.90 per ha). The treatment with 100% NPK + 25% N from FYM (S6) also performed well, with net returns of USD 837.70 per ha, emphasizing the value of combining chemical fertilizers and organic sources for optimal results. Among the planting techniques, M2 resulted in the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.5), while S5 yielded the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.85), indicating their economic viability

Keywords

• planting techniques
• nutrient management
• crop productivity
• profitability