Seedling vigour and quality as influenced by soil media in SRI and conventional rice nursery methods Hussain Ashaq1,*, Lone Aabid Hussain2, Jehangir Intikhab Aalum2, Nazir Aijaz1, Qayoom Sameera1, Sofi Najeeb R.2 1Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar-190 025, Jammu and Kashmir (India) 2Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar-190 025, Jammu and Kashmir (India) *e-mail: ahshah71@gmail.com
Online Published on 28 December, 2023. Abstract A field experiment on rice nursery was conducted using soil and manure in different proportions under system of rice intensification (SRI) and conventional methods of nursery raising to assess their effect on seedling quality. The treatments comprised of conventional method of raising nursery with recommended fertilizer dose (T1), Raised bed with 3:1 soil and manure ratio (T2), Raised bed with 2:1 soil and manure ratio (T3), Raised bed with 3:1:1 soil, manure and ash ratio (T4), Raised bed with 3:1soil and manure+ straw mulch (T5), Raised bed with 3:1 soil and manure under protected conditions (T6), Tray nursery with 3:1 soil and manure ratio (Protected) (T7), Tray nursery with 3:1 soil manure ratio under open conditions (T8). Among the various treatments soil manure ratio of 3:1under protected conditions (T6) was superior in respect of germination percentage, plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, no. of leaves/ seedling, seedling vigour, and SPAD value. T6 was followed by soil manure ratio of 2:1 under open conditions (T3) in various growth parameters. T6 was also superior in terms of shoot N, P and K concentrations. Various growth parameters such as plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and shoot N, P and K concentration demonstrated positive correlation among themselves. Raised bed with soil manure ratio of 3:1 as followed with SRI method under protected conditions seems to be the best possible method of raising quality seedling under Kashmir conditions. Top Keywords Protected conditions, Raised bed, Seedling vigour, Soil media, SRI. Top |