TITLE:
Improving Grain Yield of Indigenous Rice in Tidal Floodplain of Southern Bangladesh: Effect of Seedling Age and Transplanting Method
AUTHORS:
Abdul Hamid, Md. Jafar Ullah, Md. Moynul Haque, Md. Faruque H. Mollah, Md. Moksedur Rahman
KEYWORDS:
Rice, Seedling Age, Planting Method, Tidal Floodplain Tillers, Seedling Dry Weight, Grain Yield
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.6 No.12,
December
29,
2015
ABSTRACT: Rice production in the tidal floodplain of southern Bangladesh is constrained by uncontrolled water. In absence of high yielding varieties suitable for tidal floodplain, farmers grow low yielding indigenous cultivars of tall plant type. This paper reports the effect of agronomic management on the yield and yield components of an indigenous rice cultivar, Sadamota. The trial was conducted in 10 farmers’ plots located widely apart in two upazila (sub-districts)—Jhalakati and Rajapur. 45 d and 60 d old seedlings were transplanted either in rows at 40 cm × 20 cm spacing or following farmers’ traditional practice of random planting. Transplanting 60 d old seedlings produced 14% higher yield compared with 45 d old seedlings. Transplanting in rows also increased grain yield by 12%. The yield increase was associated with hill density, the number of effective tillers per hill and the number of spikelets per panicle.