EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SEED PRIMING METHODS ON PERFORMANCE OF DIRECT BROADCAST SEEDED RICE (DBSR) IN CHITWAN, NEPAL

Abstract

Direct broadcast seeded rice (DBSR) requires uniform plant population and faster establishment throughout the field for higher productivity. A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy farm of AFU Rampur, Chitwan during rainy season of 2019 to evaluate seed priming on the growth and productivity of DBSR. The treatments consisted of four priming methods {Control (no-priming), Hydro-priming (24 hrs tap water soaking + 12 hrs shade drying), KCl priming (24 hrs solution soaking, @ 20.74 g/ltr + 12 hrs shade drying), CaCl₂ priming (24 hrs solution soaking , @ 22.2 g/ltr + 12 hrs shade drying) } which were tested on two different seed rates (60 kg ha^-1 and 30 kg ha^-1) of two rice varieties { Hybrid (Gorakhnath-509) and Inbred (Sabitri)} in split-split plot design with four replications. The research results showed that priming resulted uniform plant population, faster crop establishment and better crop productivity. The average of 3660 kg ha^-1 grain yield was obtained due to priming in this experiment. Hybrid (Gorakhnath-509) recorded higher grain yield (3714 kg ha^-1) than the high yielding inbred (Sabitri) (3606 kg ha^-1). Higher grain yield in hybrid (Gorakhnath-509) was attributed to vigorous crop growth with significantly higher LAI ensuring more photosynthesis, more AGDM production, more number of grains per panicle and more effective tillers per meter square than inbred (Sabitri). The highest grain yield (4132 kg ha^-1) was obtained in CaCl₂ priming. The grain yield of CaCl₂ priming was significantly higher than all other priming treatments and the grain yield of KCl priming was also higher than hydro-priming and control. The lowest grain yield (3369 kg ha^-1) was observed in non-priming. Grain yield in priming techniques ranged from 3369 to 4132 kg ha^-1. Higher seed rate (60 kg ha^-1) gave significantly higher yield (4389 kg ha^-1) than lower seed rate (30 kg ha^-1). Therefore, hybrid seed, higher seed rate and all the priming treatments produced better yield than non-priming. Doing priming treatment in direct broadcast seeded rice gave uniform plant population, faster crop growth and better crop yield and this system can be easily adopted by Nepalese farmers because this system is more economic by sowing seeds through broadcast method in absence of seed drill machine for sowing seeds in line in Dry DSR.