EFFECT OF CROP ESTABLISHMENT METHODS AND WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON YIELD AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF RICE (Oryza sativa L.) UNDER TEMPERATE CONDITIONS OF KASHMIR

Field experiments were conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-Kashmir, Wadura, Jammu and Kashmir during kharif seasons of 2017 and 2018 to assess the effect of crop establishment methods and weed management practices on yield and yield attributes of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under temperate conditions of Kashmir. The experiment comprised of three crop establishment methods in main plots [transplanting (TPR), direct seeding (DSR) and system of rice intensification (SRI)] and seven weed management practices [butachlor @ 1500 g a.i. ha-1, penoxsulam (@ 22.5 g a.i. ha(-1)), pyrazosulfuran ethyl + pretilachlor (@ 15 and 600 g a.i. ha(-1)), bensulfuron methyl + pretilachlor (@ 60 and 600 g a. i. ha(-1)), twice conoweeding/hand weeding, weed free and weedy check)] in sub-plots. The treatments were replicated thrice in a split plot design. The results revealed that SRI method of crop establishment gave significantly higher values for yield attributes viz., number of panicles (399.15) and grains panicle(-1) (96.62) that resulted in higher grain (8.04 t ha(-1)) and straw (9.88 t ha(-1)) yield as compared to direct seeding and transplanted method. Among the weed management practices, the application of penoxsulam (@ 22.5 g a.i. ha(-1)) gave significantly higher grain (8.24 t ha(-1)) and straw (10.29 t ha(-1)) yield as compared to other weed management practices, except weed-free and weedy check treatments. The average grain and straw yield increase with SRI was 24.11 and 23.62% over DSR and 10.47 and 12.23% over transplanted rice. Highest B: C ratio of 1.60 was realized under SRI with the application of penoxsulam @ 22.5 g a.i. ha(-1).