Growth, phenology, yield and yield attributes of rice as influenced by tillage, residue and nitrogen management practice in Chitwan, Nepal

A field experiment was conducted in three factorial strip-split-plot design to evaluate the effect of two establishment methods (EM) [transplanted in puddled soil (PuTPR) and direct seeded in zero tillage (ZT-DSR)], two residue levels [residue kept at 3 t ha-1 (RK) and residue removed (RR)] with two nitrogen doses [recommended dose (100 kg N ha-1) (RD) and farmers' dose (50 kg N ha-1) (FD)] with six replications on rice variety “Ramdhan” during the year 2016. PuTPR, RK, and RD of nitrogen had taller plant height in almost all the days of observation. Similarly, the number of tillers per square meter and leaf area index was significantly higher in ZT-DSR and RD of nitrogen in all the days of observation. Number of effective tillers (ET) and sterility percentage were significantly higher in ZT-DSR but thousand grain weight (TGW), grain per panicle and panicle weight were significantly higher in Pu-TPR. Residue incorporation produced more number of ET. ET, TGW, panicle length and weight were significantly higher in RD. Days to heading and physiological maturity was significantly lower in PuTPR than ZT-DSR. Grain yield was significantly higher in residue kept treatment and recommended nitrogen dose. Key words: Conservation agriculture, direct seeded rice, leaf area, nitrogen, sterility, tiller.