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Influence of nitrogen levels and plant spacing on growth, productivity andquality of two inbred varieties and a hybrid of aromatic riceA. K. Gautam a; Dinesh Kumar a; Y. S. Shivay a; B. N. Mishra a

a Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

Online Publication Date: 01 October 2008

To cite this Article Gautam, A. K., Kumar, Dinesh, Shivay, Y. S. and Mishra, B. N.(2008)'Influence of nitrogen levels and plant spacingon growth, productivity and quality of two inbred varieties and a hybrid of aromatic rice',Archives of Agronomy and SoilScience,54:5,515 — 532

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Influence of nitrogen levels and plant spacing on growth, productivity and

quality of two inbred varieties and a hybrid of aromatic rice

A.K. Gautam, Dinesh Kumar*, Y.S. Shivay and B.N. Mishra

Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

(Received 11 March 2008; final version received 18 June 2008)

A field investigation was conducted at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute’sResearch Farm during the kharif (wet) seasons of 2002 and 2003 in a split plot designwith three replications, consisting of 27 treatments, namely, main plots: three varieties(PRH-10, Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1) and three plant spacings (20 6 10,20 6 15 and 20 6 20 cm2) and sub-plots: three levels of nitrogen (0, 80 and 160 kg Nha71). The research results indicated that aromatic rice hybrid PRH-10 produced 33 and6%, respectively, more grain yield than that of Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1. Theappreciable higher grain yield of PRH-10 over Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 wasdue to considerable improvement in most of the yield attributing characters. Applicationof 160 kg N ha71 recorded 23.7 and 26.1%more grain yield over no nitrogen applicationwhereas it was 6.4 and 6.1% more over 80 kg N ha71, respectively, during first andsecond year of the experimentation. Wider plant spacing of 20 6 20 cm2 and applicationof 160 kg N/ha recorded significantly higher hulling, milling and head rice recoverycompared to closer spacing and zero nitrogen application.

Keywords: aromatic rice; nitrogen; spacing; growth; yield; yield attributes; quality

Introduction

Aromatic rices occupy a pivotal position in India because of their high quality. Due totheir excellent quality characters, they are popular in the international market. India is oneof the major producers and exporters of Basmati rice in the international market. Theseareas are confined mainly to Punjab, Haryana, western U.P. and parts of Rajasthan inTrans-Indo-Gangetic plains (Anonymous 2003). Out of many aromatic rice varietiescultivated in India, traditional tall varieties of Basmati constitute a sizable proportion ofexport, but their productivity is very low compared to non-aromatic rice varieties (Rajuet al. 1990; Gangaiah and Prasad 1999). Efforts are needed to increase the yield ofaromatic rices for enhancing the quantum of exports for foreign exchange reserves. In thisregard, a number of Basmati rice varieties have been developed through a systematicgenetic improvement programme. The release of aromatic rices of Basmati type, namely,Pusa Sugandh-3 (inbred) and PRH-10 (hybrid) is expected to increase production and thusexport of high quality rice. These varieties with attractive grain quality are input-responsive and early in maturity. They have the potential to produce 11–17% more grainyield than the previously developed Basmati rice varieties like Pusa Basmati-1 (IndianAgricultural Research Institute [IARI] 2002).

*Corresponding author. Email: dineshctt@yahoo.com

Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science

Vol. 54, No. 5, October 2008, 515–532

ISSN 0365-0340 print/ISSN 1476-3567 online

� 2008 Taylor & Francis

DOI: 10.1080/03650340802283470

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Agronomic practices for rice hybrid are different from inbred rices because of itsgenetic variability. In order to tap yield potential of newly-developed rice varieties eitherhybrid or inbred, appropriate agronomic practices needs to be developed. Among thesepractices, establishing an optimum plant density and application of nitrogen are theimportant factors to achieve higher yield from different rice varieties (Kumar et al. 2002).Because of high vigour and profuse tillering ability the rice hybrids may be transplantedwider as compared to conventional high-yielding varieties (Zhende 1988). It is anestablished fact that higher amounts of major nutrients, especially nitrogen, are requiredto exploit the full yield potential of high-yielding rice cultivars. Hybrids of any crop ingeneral require higher doses of nitrogen. Meena et al. (2003) recorded highest grain yieldof rice hybrid with the application 200 kg N ha71, whereas inbred non-aromatic ricevarieties responded only up to 120 kg N ha71 (Ram et al. 2002). However, theinformation on nitrogen requirement and spacing for optimum yield of newly-releasedinbred and hybrid rice varieties is limited. Hence, the present study was carried out todiscover the appropriate plant spacing and nitrogen requirement for inbred and hybridaromatic rice and to evaluate the influence of spacing and nitrogen on growth, yield andquality of aromatic rice.

Materials and methods

The field experiments were conducted at the Research Farm of Indian AgriculturalResearch Institute, New Delhi (778120 E and 288400 N; 228.4 m above mean sea level)during kharif seasons (July–October) of 2002 and 2003. The soil of the experimental fieldwas ‘sandy-clay loam’, alkaline in reaction (pH 7.9), having 0.49% organic carbon(Walkley and Black method, Jackson 1973), 0.05% total N (Kjeldahl method, Jackson1973), low levels of available phosphorus (9.1 kg P ha71, Olsen’s method, Jackson 1973)and medium levels of available potassium (240 kg K ha71, Flame Photometer method,Jackson 1973) in 0–15 cm soil depth at the start of the experiment. Depending upon thefertility status (mainly available NPK), Indian soils have been categorized into threegroups, i.e. containing low, medium and high levels of a particular nutrient (Prasad et al.2006). The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications.Combinations of aromatic varieties/ hybrid and plant spacing (363) were allocated in mainplots and N levels (3) in subplots. The three varieties/hybrid used were Pusa Rice Hybrid 10(PRH-10), Pusa Sugandh-3 (PS-3), Pusa Basmati-1 (PB-1) and three plant spacing20610 cm (50 hills m72), 20615 cm (33.3 hills m72) and 20620 cm (25 hills m72).Nitrogen was applied at three levels, i.e. 0, 80 and 160 kg N ha71. Prilled urea (PU), acommercial grade fertilizer containing 46% N was applied as per requirement in threesplits, namely, (i) 50% N at 7 days after transplanting (ii) 25% N at panicle initiation and(iii) 20% at heading stage of the crop. Phosphorus (26 kg P ha71) as single superphosphate, potash (33 kg K ha71) as muriate of potash and zinc (25 kg Zn ha71) as ZnSO4

were applied uniformly in all plots at the time of final land preparation during both theyears.

Pusa Rice Hybrid-10 (PRH-10) is a superfine aromatic rice hybrid with basmati qualitydeveloped at IARI, New Delhi, in 1998 from the cross of Pusa 6A6PRR-78. The grainsare medium long and fine with a 1000-grain weight of 20–22 g. It possesses an attractivearoma. This hybrid was released in July 2001 for commercial cultivation in Uttaranchal,western U.P., Delhi and Haryana. It is a medium-duration cultivar and matures 15–20days earlier as compared to Pusa Basmati-1. Pusa Sugandh-3 is a semi-dwarf, high-yielding aromatic inbred rice variety possessing typical basmati quality with an average

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yield of 5.0 t ha71. This variety was also released in July 2001 for commercial cultivationin the North-Western Plain zone of India. Pusa Basmati-1 is also an aromatic, inbred,non-lodging, semi dwarf and high-yielding rice variety developed at IARI, New Delhi, andreleased in 1989 for commercial cultivation. This variety is medium in height (90–100 cm)and in maturity (130–135 days) with average yield of 5.0 t ha71. It also possesses anattractive aroma with 1000-grain weight of 20–21 g.

The crop was transplanted under puddled plots on 9 July during both the years. Two tothree seedlings of 25 days age were transplanted hill71 in the 2–3 cm standing water at threespacings. To maintain uniform plant population, gaps were filled one week aftertransplanting. Standing water (5–8 cm) in the plots was maintained until grain fillingstage. Since the growing duration of the three varieties differed they were harvested atdifferent dates. In year 2002 PRH-10, Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 cultivars wereharvested on 12, 16 and 24 September. The corresponding harvest dates in 2003 were 15, 19and 28 September. Net plots were harvested after removing the border rows and were tied,numbered and left out in the field to dry for a week. After proper cleaning and winnowingthe grain weight of each plot at 14%moisture was recorded. Five hills of sample plants wereselected from net plot and the total number of panicles was counted and then the averagenumber of panicles m72 was computed. Leaf area index (LAI) was calculated at 30 and 60DAT (days after transplanting). Ten panicles were collected randomly from each plot at thetime of harvest and dried to a constant weight at 658C to determine the dry matter yield.

Hulling (%)

Well dried rough rice samples from each plot weighing 100 g were hulled in a mini ‘SatakeRice Medium’ and the weight of brown rice was recorded. Hulling percentage was workedout as:

Hulling ð%Þ ¼Weight of brown rice gð ÞWeight of rough rice gð Þ � 100

Milling (%)

The hulled brown rice samples were milled in a ‘Satake Rice Whitening and CakingMachine’ for 5 min. The polished rice was weighed and milling percentage was calculatedas:

Milling ð%Þ ¼Weight of milled rice gð ÞWeight of rough rice gð Þ � 100

Head rice recovery (%)

Head rice yield was determined by separating whole grains and 34 grains manually and

percentage was expressed as:

Head rice recovery ð%Þ ¼Weight of whole milled rice

Weight of rough rice� 100

Kernel length and breadth before cooking

Ten milled kernels from each plot were taken at randomand measured on graph paper fortheir length and breadth using a ‘Photo Enlarger’ with a magnification of 36. The meanlength and breadth were expressed in mm.

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Kernel length and breadth after cooking

Ten individual kernels were placed separately in labelled test tubes and presoaked in 5 ml oftap water for 30 min. The tubes were placed in boiling water for 8 min. Then the tubes werecooled under running water for a minute. Excess water was removed with the help of blottingpaper. Length and breadth of cooked kernel were measured in mm as mentioned above.

Protein content in grain was obtained by multiplying N content in per cent with afactor of 5.95 (Juliano et al. 1973). All the data recorded were analyzed by using thestandard procedures of statistical analysis for Split Plot Design (Gomez and Gomez 1984).Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of each treatment. WhenF ratio was significant, a multiple mean comparison was performed using Fisher’s LeastSignificance Difference Test (0.05 probability level).

Results

Growth

Plant height

Inbred aromatic rice Pusa Basmati-1 registered significantly higher plant height than PRH-10and Pusa Sugandh-3 at panicle initiation and harvest stage (Table 1). The differences in plantheight between PRH-10 and Pusa Sugandh-3 at panicle initiation and flowering stages werenon-significant. However, Pusa Sugandh-3 recorded significantly taller plants at harvest ascompared to hybrid rice PRH-10. Significantly taller plants of rice were recorded at allgrowth stages at a spacing of 20610 cm2 as compared to 20620 cm2 during both the yearsof study except at panicle initiation stage during 2002 at 20615 cm2 spacing. Application ofnitrogen resulted in significant increase in plant height at all the growth stages during both theyears. Highest plant height (107.7 and 111.6 cm) at harvest stage during 2002 and 2003,respectively were recorded with the application of 160 kg N ha71.

Number of tillers m72

At all growth stages during both the years of study, hybrid rice PRH-10 registeredsignificantly more tillers as compared to inbred rice varieties Pusa Sugandh-3 and PusaBasmati-1 (Table 1). At harvest, Pusa Sugandh-3 produced significantly more tillers thanPusa Basmati-1. It is also clear from the data that the number of tillers per hill increased withthe increase in the spacing for rice transplanting. Transplanting of rice at a wider spacing of20620 cm2 produced a significantly higher number of tillers per hill as compared to closerspacings of 20610 cm2 and 20615 cm2. Successive increase in nitrogen levels significantlyincreased the number of tillers at all the growth stages of the crop.

Leaf area index (LAI)

Rice hybrid PRH-10 had in general higher LAI than Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1during both years (Table 2). However, all the varieties in the study measured higher LAIvalue during flowering stage. At physiological maturity Pusa Basmati-1 registered lowervalue indicating thereby early leaf senescence. Plant spacing of 20610 cm2 registeredsignificantly higher LAI values as compared to 20615 cm2 and 20620 cm2 spacings. Adecreasing trend in the LAI values was noticed with an increase in the plant spacing duringboth the years of study. Irrespective of growth stages, each successive increase in the

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Table

1.

EffectofplantspacingandN

levelsonplantheightandnumber

oftillersofaromaticrice

atdifferentgrowth

stages.

Plantheight(cm)

Number

oftillershill7

1

Panicle

initiationstage

Floweringstage

Atharvest

Panicle

initiationstage

Flowering

stage

Atharvest

Treatm

ent

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Variety/hybrid

PRH-10

68.9

72.3

95.5

100.8

100.9

106.1

12.2

13.1

10.3

11.6

8.4

9.7

Pusa

Sugandh-3

67.9

70.9

96.9

102.2

103.4

108.7

10.8

11.4

9.2

10.3

7.5

7.8

Pusa

Basm

ati-1

75.7

79.7

98.9

104.0

106.0

110.6

10.4

10.9

8.7

9.9

6.9

7.1

LSD

(0.05)

3.7

3.1

2.5

2.1

2.0

1.8

0.8

0.4

0.9

1.0

0.5

0.5

Spacing(cm

2)

206

10

73.7

79.1

100.8

104.6

105.7

110.9

8.8

10.5

7.6

9.3

5.4

6.3

206

15

71.0

73.7

96.8

102.4

103.1

108.0

11.6

11.7

9.8

10.5

7.6

7.8

206

20

67.8

70.1

93.7

100.0

101.5

106.5

12.9

13.3

10.7

11.9

9.8

10.5

LSD

(0.05)

3.7

3.1

2.5

2.1

2.0

1.8

0.8

0.4

0.9

1.0

0.5

0.5

Nlevel

(kgha71)

066.4

69.9

92.6

98.5

99.1

104.3

8.8

9.5

7.7

8.7

6.7

7.0

80

70.4

73.9

96.4

102.6

103.5

109.5

11.7

12.2

9.4

10.8

7.7

8.4

160

75.7

79.1

102.3

105.9

107.7

111.6

12.9

13.7

11.1

12.3

8.5

9.2

LSD

(0.05)

3.3

2.5

2.0

1.8

1.7

1.6

0.7

0.5

0.8

0.8

0.4

0.4

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Table2.

EffectofplantspacingandN

levelsonleafareaindex

ofaromaticrice

atdifferentgrowth

stages

anddry

matter

productionatpanicleinitiation

stage.

Leafareaindex

Dry

matter

production(tha7

1)atpanicle

initiationstage

Panicle

initiationstage

Floweringstage

Atphysiological

maturity

stage

Green

leaf

Sheath

Total

Treatm

ent

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Variety/hybrid

PRH-10

2.93

3.38

4.28

4.67

2.26

2.73

1.34

1.43

2.08

2.29

3.43

3.72

Pusa

Sugandh-3

2.90

3.09

3.78

4.32

2.07

2.50

1.34

1.30

1.74

1.96

3.08

3.27

Pusa

Basm

ati-1

2.38

2.54

3.24

3.58

1.61

1.98

1.12

1.15

1.52

1.71

2.64

2.86

LSD

(0.05)

0.24

0.30

0.34

0.27

0.16

0.18

0.09

0.08

0.13

0.16

0.21

0.26

Spacing(cm

2)

206

10

3.16

3.38

4.37

4.63

2.05

2.73

1.41

1.39

1.96

2.18

3.38

3.56

206

15

2.79

3.05

3.71

4.13

1.96

2.36

1.29

1.29

1.80

2.07

3.09

3.37

206

20

2.27

2.58

3.22

3.81

1.93

2.12

1.10

1.20

1.58

1.71

2.68

2.92

LSD

(0.05)

0.24

0.30

0.34

0.27

NS

0.18

0.09

0.08

0.13

0.16

0.21

0.26

Nlevel

(kgha71)

02.20

2.37

2.67

3.27

1.74

2.08

1.02

1.04

1.51

1.63

2.54

2.83

80

2.66

2.87

3.84

4.09

2.09

2.51

1.27

1.33

1.82

2.01

3.09

3.34

160

3.35

3.77

4.79

4.91

2.11

2.62

1.51

1.51

2.02

2.32

3.56

3.68

LSD

(0.05)

0.15

0.21

0.23

0.22

0.12

0.12

0.07

0.06

0.12

0.14

0.18

0.18

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nitrogen level in general pushed up the LAI values. At physiological maturity, the leaf areaindex was on a par with 80 and 160 kg N ha71.

Dry matter (DM) production

All the three varieties, namely, PRH-10, Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1, at all thestages of growth exhibited significant difference with each other in producing total drymatter (DM) production during both years of experimentation (Tables 2 and 3). PRH-10produced the highest total DM compared to the other two varieties. Pusa Basmati-1produced the lowest DM of various plant parts as well as total DM at different growthstages. Significantly more green leaf, leaf sheath and total DM were recorded with theadoption of 20610 cm2 spacing as compared to 20615 cm2 and 20620 cm2 spacing,except leaf sheath production during 2003 over 20615 cm2 spacing. At flowering andharvest stage, a similar trend of total leaf dry matter production was recorded among theadopted three spacings in both years. Each successive increase in the level of nitrogensignificantly pushed up the DM production of green leaf, leaf sheath and total dry matterproduction at panicle initiation stage during both the years of study. A similar trend wasfound at the flowering stage too for the production of total dry matter as well as differentplant parts.

Yield attributing characters

Number of panicles m72

Rice hybrid PRH-10 produced significantly more panicles than the other two inbred ricevarieties during both the years of investigations (Table 4). Pusa Sugandh-3 was statisticallysuperior to Pusa Basmati-1 in producing the panicles per unit area. The results indicatedthat adoption of closer spacing of 20610 cm2 resulted in more panicles m72 compared towider spacing of 20615 cm2 and 20620 cm2. However, significant difference was alsonoticed between the spacings of 20615 cm2 and 20620 cm2. Application of 80 kg N ha71

resulted significantly in a higher number of panicles m72 over control during bothyears. However, maximum numbers of panicles were recorded with application of160 kg N ha71 which was significantly superior over 0 and 80 kg N ha71.

Filled grains panicle71

PRH-10 registered significantly more filled grains compared to Pusa Sugandh-3 and PusaBasmati-1 (Table 4). Furthermore, the difference in number of grains per panicle betweenPusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 was also significant. The maximum number of filledgrains per panicle were recorded with wider spacing of 20620 cm2 whereas it was lowest at20610 cm2 spacing. Application of 80 or 160 kg N ha71 significantly produced more grainsper panicle over control. Significantly higher numbers of filled grains panicle-1 were recordedwith application of 160 over 0 and 80 kg N ha71.

Length of panicle

Pusa Basmati-1 recorded significantly longer panicles in both years (Table 4).Transplanting of rice at a closer spacing of 20610 cm2 produced significantly shorterpanicles during first year of study than the other two spacings. During the second year the

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Table

3.

EffectofplantspacingandN

levelsondry

matter

productionofaromaticrice

atfloweringstageandatharvest.

Dry

matter

production(tha7

1)atfloweringstage

Green

leaf

Stem

Panicle

Total

Totalbiomass

(tha7

1)at

harvest

Treatm

ent

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Variety/hybrid

PRH-10

1.81

2.01

4.29

4.21

1.79

1.99

7.89

8.21

13.3

14.0

Pusa

Sugandh-3

1.94

1.95

3.90

3.95

1.78

1.84

7.62

7.75

12.8

13.5

Pusa

Basm

ati-1

1.52

1.75

3.19

3.20

1.47

1.59

6.19

6.55

11.3

12.0

LSD

(0.05)

0.12

0.10

0.26

0.21

0.11

0.11

0.38

0.37

0.5

0.5

Spacing(cm

2)

206

10

1.90

2.05

4.05

3.96

1.75

1.98

7.70

7.99

12.8

13.5

206

15

1.76

1.95

3.81

3.87

1.72

1.78

7.29

7.61

12.5

13.2

206

20

1.60

1.71

3.52

3.52

1.57

1.66

6.70

6.91

12.0

12.7

LSD

(0.05)

0.12

0.10

0.26

0.21

0.11

0.11

0.38

0.37

0.5

0.5

Nlevel

(kgha71)

01.45

1.60

3.08

2.93

1.39

1.59

5.92

6.13

10.7

11.2

80

1.82

1.94

4.05

4.12

1.73

1.84

7.59

7.91

12.7

13.7

160

2.00

2.17

4.26

4.30

1.92

2.00

8.19

8.47

13.9

14.5

LSD

(0.05)

0.10

0.09

0.18

0.17

0.09

0.08

0.35

0.32

0.4

0.4

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Table

4.

EffectofplantspacingandN

levelsonyield

attributingcharactersandyield

ofaromaticrice.

Yield

attributingcharacters

Yield

(tha7

1)

Number

of

paniclesm

72

Number

offilled

grainspanicle71

Panicle

length

(cm)

1000-grain

weight(g)

Grain

Straw

Treatm

ent

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Variety/hybrid

PRH-10

243.4

252.4

117.3

127.3

25.3

27.0

21.4

22.2

5.00

5.30

8.31

8.70

Pusa

Sugandh-3

235.1

243.3

107.8

115.7

24.9

26.2

23.2

23.7

4.69

5.03

8.11

8.40

Pusa

Basm

ati-1

220.3

231.3

88.0

101.4

26.3

27.8

19.6

19.7

3.68

4.08

7.59

7.93

LSD

(0.05)

5.8

4.7

3.2

4.3

1.2

1.1

0.3

0.2

0.18

0.23

0.46

0.37

Spacing(cm

2)

206

10

246.3

253.2

96.0

102.1

24.1

26.4

21.1

21.5

4.11

4.41

8.69

9.14

206

15

229.9

241.7

104.6

115.5

26.1

27.4

21.4

21.7

4.48

4.86

8.08

8.37

206

20

222.6

232.1

112.5

126.8

26.6

27.2

21.7

22.2

4.77

5.14

7.25

7.56

LSD

(0.05)

5.8

4.7

3.2

4.3

1.2

NS

0.3

0.2

0.18

0.23

0.46

0.37

Nlevel

(kgha71)

0217.4

226.7

89.4

99.1

23.3

25.2

21.1

21.4

3.78

3.98

6.98

7.25

80

233.7

242.8

106.3

114.9

26.6

27.6

21.4

21.9

4.53

5.05

8.11

8.68

160

247.7

257.5

117.6

130.0

27.0

28.1

21.7

22.2

5.06

5.38

8.92

9.13

LSD

(0.05)

4.0

4.3

2.9

2.4

1.0

0.9

0.2

0.2

0.17

0.21

0.38

0.27

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plant spacing failed to influence the length of panicle. Application of 80 or 160 kg N ha71

being statistically on a par resulted in significantly longer panicles over no nitrogenapplication.

1000-grain weight

Pusa Sugandh-3 produced significantly heavier grain than PRH-10 and Pusa Basmati-1during both years of study (Table 4). The data revealed that adoption of 20620 cm2

spacing for rice transplanting resulted in heavier grain weight than at closer spacing of20610 cm2. Application of either 80 or 160 kg N ha71 had significantly higher 1000-grainweight over no nitrogen application whereas both levels of nitrogen application could notinfluence 1000-grain weight.

Grain yield

Rice hybrid PRH-10 produced significantly higher grain yield than varieties PusaSugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 (Table 4). The increase in the grain yield of PRH-10 was6.6 and 5.2% higher than that of produced by Pusa Sugandh-3. Transplanting of rice at aspacing of 20620 cm2 proved significantly superior over the spacings of 20610 and20615 cm2. Medium spacing of 20615 cm2 resulted significantly higher grainyield than closer spacing of 20610 cm2. Application of 80 and 160 kg N ha71

significantly increased the grain yield of aromatic rice. Application of 160 kg N ha71

recorded 23.7 and 26.1% more grain yield over no nitrogen application whereas it was 6.4and 6.1% more over 80 kg N ha71, respectively, during the first and second year of theexperimentation.

Straw yield

PRH-10 and Pusa Sugandh-3 being statistically on a par produced significantly morestraw yield than Pusa Basmati-1 during both years of experimentation (Table 4). Theproduction of straw significantly differed among three spacings during both years of study.Higher straw yield was recorded with the adoption of 20610 cm2 spacing. Each successiveincrement in the level of nitrogen significantly increased the straw yield. Application ofnitrogen at 160 kg ha71 significantly enhanced the straw yield over 80 kg N ha71

application.

Grain quality characteristics

Hulling percentage

Rice hybrid PRH-10 exhibited significantly higher values of hulling percentage than inbredrice variety Pusa Basmati-1 (Figure 1). However, differences were non-significant inbetween PRH-10 and Pusa Sugandh-3, and Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1. Plantspacing caused a significant effect on hulling percentage only during 2002. The widestspacing of 20620 cm2 registered significantly maximum hulling percentage overcloser spacing of 20610 cm2; however, non-significant variation was noticed between20620 cm2 and 20615 cm2 spacings. Nitrogen application also influencedthe hulling percentage of rice and the highest was recorded with the application of160 kg N ha71.

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Figure 1. Hulling (%), milling (%) and head rice recovery (%) in aromatic rice as affected byhybrid/variety, spacing (cm6cm) and N level (kg/ha).

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Milling percentage

The data recorded on milling percentage of aromatic rice presented in Figure 1 indicatedthat inbred rice varieties Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 resulted significantly inhigher milling percentage than that of rice hybrid PRH-10. No significant difference wasnoticed between the two inbred aromatic rice varieties during either of the years of thestudy. Similar to the hulling percentage, milling percentage too was significantly higherunder widest spacing of 20620 cm2 over closer spacings. Application of either of thedose of nitrogen registered significantly higher values of milling percentage than that ofno nitrogen application. Between the two doses of nitrogen application, i.e. 80 and160 kg ha71, the significant difference for milling percentage was noticed during thesecond year of the study.

Head rice recovery

Among the three rice cultivars in the study, inbred aromatic rice Pusa Sugandh-3had significantly higher values of head rice recovery over PRH-10 and Pusa Basmati-1(Figure 1). Head rice recovery did not differ with the transplanting of rice at 20610 cm2

and 20615 cm2 during either of the years of study, whereas widest spacing of 20620 cm2

registered maximum value of head rice recovery during the first year. A similar trend wasnoticed during the second year of the study. Each increment of nitrogen significantlyincreased the head rice recovery and application of 160 kg N ha71 recorded the highestvalue of head rice recovery.

Kernel length and breadth before cooking

Inbred aromatic rice varieties Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 registered significantlylonger kernel length before cooking than rice hybrid PRH-10 (Table 5). A similar trendwas noticed for kernel breadth before cooking of the rice cultivars included in the study.Transplanting of rice at various spacings and application of levels of nitrogen could notbring a significant variation in the length and breadth of rice kernel before cooking.

Kernel length and breadth after cooking

All the three rice cultivars namely PRH-10, Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1significantly varied with each other in length and breadth of rice kernel after cookingduring both years of study (Table 5). Pusa Basmati-1 recorded the highest value ofkernel length after cooking, whereas Pusa Sugandh-3 registered the highest value ofkernel breadth after cooking. Neither the plant spacings nor the levels of nitrogenapplication could remarkably influence the length and breadth of rice kernel after andduring cooking.

Protein content

PRH-10 showed significantly higher protein content (%) in grain than Pusa Sugandh-3and Pusa Basmati-1 during both years (Table 5). Protein content also varied significantlybetween the two inbred aromatic rices: Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1. Transplant-ing of rice at different spacing could not influence the protein content. Each increment innitrogen application significantly increased the protein content of milled rice during 2003.

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Table

5.

EffectofplantspacingandN

levelsonkernel

length

andbreadth

before

andafter

cookingandprotein

contentin

aromaticrice.

Treatm

ent

Kernel

length

before

cooking

(mm)

Kernel

length

after

cooking(m

m)

Kernel

breadth

before

cooking

(mm)

Kernel

breadth

after

cooking

(mm)

Protein

content

(%)

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Variety/hybrid

PRH-10

6.74

6.89

11.54

11.73

1.71

1.71

2.16

2.10

7.91

7.96

Pusa

Sugandh-3

7.43

7.50

13.34

13.36

1.80

1.82

2.53

2.57

7.70

7.73

Pusa

Basm

ati-1

7.40

7.39

13.73

13.76

1.77

1.79

2.24

2.21

7.09

7.16

LSD

(0.05)

0.16

0.15

0.24

0.36

0.07

0.05

0.07

0.07

0.19

0.18

Spacing(cm

2)

206

10

7.11

7.22

12.84

12.84

1.73

1.76

2.29

2.26

7.49

7.55

206

15

7.21

7.24

12.86

12.94

1.77

1.77

2.30

2.30

7.56

7.58

206

20

7.25

7.32

12.91

13.06

1.78

1.79

2.34

2.32

7.65

7.72

LSD

(0.05)

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

Nlevel

(kgha71)

07.14

7.22

12.75

12.80

1.74

1.77

2.28

2.27

6.93

7.00

80

7.20

7.26

12.92

12.95

1.75

1.77

2.32

2.28

7.83

7.85

160

7.23

7.30

12.95

13.10

1.79

1.78

2.33

2.33

7.94

8.00

LSD

(0.05)

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

NS

0.12

0.11

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Application of 80 and 160 kg N ha71 did not affect the protein content of rice during2002, but differed significantly over no nitrogen application.

Discussion

Rice varieties/hybrid

Growth parameters of rice varieties, namely, plant height, number of tillers hill71, leaf areaindex and dry matter production were influenced significantly by varieties. Rice hybridPRH-10 maintained its significant superiority in number of tillers hill71, dry matter andleaf area index (LAI) but shorter plant height as compared to other two inbred rice varietiesPusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1. The shorter plant height of rice hybrid PRH-10 atmaturity resulted in less lodging compared to the two inbred varieties. Traditional variety,Pusa Basmati-1, maintained higher plant height at all the growth stages. The differentialgrowth behavior of rice varieties could be attributed to the genetical characters of thevariety (Kumar et al. 2002; Adhikari et al. 2004). The dry matter and LAI of rice hybridPRH-10 was more than inbred varieties due to more number of tillers hill71 and wider andlonger leaves. Rice hybrids show heterobiltiosis for dry matter production due to highertillers plant71 (Lin and Liang 1997). Rice hybrid PRH-10 recorded significantly highervalues of yield attributes, namely, number of panicles m72 and number of filled grainspanicle71 than inbred rice varieties Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati 1. The higher valuesof yield attributes recorded by PRH-10 over inbred varieties might be due to more numberof tillers per unit area, better crop growth and development, higher photosyntheticefficiency due to LAI at flowering and also towards physiological maturity. Yang et al.(2001) reported that rice hybrid has larger LAI at heading.

Rice hybrid PRH-10 produced significantly more grain yield than inbred varieties PusaSugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati 1. The increase in grain yield of PRH-10 was 36 and 29.8%,and 6.6 and 5.2% over Pusa Basmati 1 and Pusa Sugandh-3 during 2002 and 2003,respectively. The higher grain yield of hybrid over conventional variety was observedmainly due to the heterotic effect (Virmani 1996). The greater increase in grain yield of ricehybrid PRH-10 over inbred varieties was also due to better formation of yield attributingcharacters, namely, number of panicles m72, number of filled grains panicle71 and 1000-grain weight. Between the inbred varieties, Pusa Sugandh-3 yielded 23.3–27.5% moregrain yield than Pusa Basmati-1, which was mainly due to higher number of panicles m72

and more number of filled grains panicle71, heavier panicles and test weight.Hulling and head rice recovery were relatively higher in PRH-10 and Pusa Sugandh-3

than in Pusa Basmati 1, whereas both inbred rice varieties recorded significantly highermilling percentage than PRH-10. Regarding kernel length before cooking, both inbred ricevarieties were superior to the rice hybrid, PRH-10, whereas Pusa Sugandh-3 recordedmore kernel breadth than PRH-10. The elongation of kernel (after cooking) wassignificantly more in Pusa Basmati-1 than in PRH-10 and Pusa Sugandh-3. Kernel breadthafter cooking varied significantly among the three rice varieties. This variation in differentquality parameters might be due to genetic make up and characteristics of the variety.Regarding protein content, rice hybrid PRH-10 exhibited significantly higher proteincontent than inbred rice varieties. Salgotra et al. (2002) have reported a significant positiveheterosis for protein content and negative heterosis for kernel length and breadth of ricehybrids over conventional varieties. Yi and Chen (1992) have also reported a significantcytoplasmic genetic effect of rice hybrids for protein content, brown rice rate and head ricerecovery.

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Plant spacing

Plant population as a result of transplanting rice at varied spacings led to variation ingrowth characters, yield attributes and ultimately grain yield due to inter- and intra-plantcompetition for solar radiation, space and nutrients. Three spacings – 20610, 20615 and20620 cm2 – showed that narrow spacing of 20610 cm2 maintained its significantsuperiority in producing comparatively taller plants, higher leaf area index and more drymatter production over the wider spacings of 20615 and 20620 cm2. However, totalbiomass at harvest was more at 20615 cm2 spacing and number of tillers hill71 at20620 cm2 than rest of the spacings. Significantly taller plants at closer spacing of20610 cm2, which had more hills m72, might be due to stiff competition for space,sunlight and other inputs as compared to wider spacings. Kumar (2001) reported thathigher plant densities tended to produce taller plants than lower plant densities.Maintenance of higher number of tillers hill71 at 20620 cm2 over other spacings maybe due to less population pressure on the individual hills for space, light and nutrientavailability. An increase in number of plants and tillers per unit area at a spacing of20610 cm2 led to higher dry matter production than the wider spacing. Higher leaf areaindex at a spacing of 20610 cm2 over the rest of the spacings might be due to morenumber of tillers per unit area at closer spacing.

Significant increase in number of panicles m72 from wider (20620 cm2) to closer(20610 cm2) spacing might be due to increased number of tillers per unit area.Transplanting aromatic rice varieties at a wider spacing of 20620 cm2 resulted in highernumber of filled grains panicle71, panicle weight and test weight as compared to otherspacings. The appreciable improvement in yield attributing characters of aromatic ricevarieties at wider spacing might be due to better utilization of space, solar radiation andother inputs resulting in more filled grains panicle71 and higher test weight and ultimatelymore panicle weight as compared to closer spacings. Furthermore, higher dry matterproduction at closer spacing might have restricted the diversion of reserved and currentphotosynthates toward reproductive parts, i.e. grains. The significant increase in yieldattributes, namely, number of filled grains panicle71, panicle length and 1000-grain weightwas registered at wider spacing as compared to closer spacing.

The grain and straw yield were significantly influenced by transplanting of rice atvarious spacings. The percentage increase in grain yield of aromatic rice varieties due toplant spacing of 20620 cm2 was in the tune of 16.1 and 16.4% over 20610 cm2 spacingand 6.5 and 5.7% more over 20615 cm2 during 2002 and 2003, respectively. While, aspacing of 20615 cm2 resulted in 9 and 10.2% more grain yield than 20610 cm2 spacing.The production of higher grain yield from wider spacing was mainly attributed to greaternumber of filled grains panicle71, length of panicle and 1000-grain weight as compared tocloser plant spacing.

Wider spacing of 20620 cm2 maintained its superiority in hulling, milling and headrice recovery of aromatic rice varieties to 20610 cm2 spacing during both the years ofstudy, except hulling percentage during 2003. The improvement in these qualityparameters might be the result of better utilization of space, light and other inputs(Kumar et al. 2002) mainly due to the reduced inter- and intra-plant competition whichultimately favored development of heavy panicles and healthy and plump grains atwider spacing. Other quality parameters, namely, kernel length and breadth beforeand after cooking and protein content were not altered due to various spacings, whichmight be due to the fact that these parameters were governed by genetic constitution of thevariety.

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Nitrogen levels

All the growth characters, such as plant height, number of tillers hill71, LAI and dry matterproduction at all the growth stages, increased significantly with the application of N. Thesuperiority in these growth characters with higher nitrogen application may be due to splitapplication of N at different growth stages which might have minimized the loss of nitrogenand induced better growth and development of the crop. Increase in nitrogen level from 0–180 kg ha71 significantly increased the plant height at all the growth stages. A similar trendwas recorded for the number of tillers hill71, LAI and dry matter production. Appreciableimprovement in plant height and number of tillers occurred mainly due to the applicationof nitrogen at critical growth stages as advocated by De Datta (1981).

The total dry matter production increased consistently with the advancement ingrowth and reached the maximum at harvest. Application of 160 kg N ha71 significantlyincreased the dry matter production over 0 and 80 kg N ha71. It may be due to highertiller production and LAI at all the growth stages which increased the photosyntheticassimilation. Also, increasing levels of N application resulted in its higher absorption andutilization (Halepyati and Sheelawantar 1993), which accumulated the photosyntheticassimilates for faster growth of rice plant. This caused appreciable improvement invegetative growth as evinced by significantly taller plants and more number of tillers hill71

which ultimately resulted in higher dry matter production.The yield attributes, such as the number of panicles m72, filled grains panicle71, panicle

length and 1000-grain weight, were positively influenced by the application of nitrogen.Significant increase in the number of panicles m72 was recorded with the increase in thelevel of nitrogen from 0–160 kg N ha71. This increase was mainly due to more number oftillers m72 with increasing level of nitrogen application. Higher N uptake at PI stage helpedrice plants to produce more number of tillers and panicles (De Datta 1981). The number offilled grains panicle71 significantly increased with the application of 80 and 160 kg N ha71.The plants remained green for a longer time with an increase in N application and resultedin more contribution of carbohydrates from current photosynthates (Reddy and Reddy1989). In this study, higher LAI was recorded with the application of 80 and 160 kg N ha71

and this might be the reason for the increased number of filled grains panicle71 due to moreavailability of carbohydrates through current photosynthates.

Nitrogen application had a marked effect on grain and straw yield. Grain yieldincreased significantly with increase in the level of nitrogen. The magnitude of yieldincrease was 34 and 11.8%, and 35 and 6.5% at 160 kg N ha71 over 0 and 80 kg N ha71

during the first and second year of study, respectively. Higher levels of N applicationcaused better N uptake, leading to greater dry matter production and its translocation tosink (Dalal and Dixit 1987). The significant improvement in panicles m72, panicle weight,filled grains panicle71 and test weight was mainly responsible for higher grain yield withsupply of nitrogen.

Quality aspect of aromatic rice is of prime importance for growers as well asconsumers. Significantly higher hulling, milling, head rice recovery and protein contentwere registered with the application of nitrogen during both the years of experimentation.Protein content increased appreciably with the application of nitrogen which was mainlydue to higher nitrogen concentration. Perez et al. (1996) reported that N application atflowering had a large effect on protein content. In this study also, the third dose ofnitrogen was applied at heading stage which might have contributed to an increase in theprotein content of grains. For these reasons, the application of nitrogen increased theprotein content which, in turn, might have improved the hulling percentage and head rice

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recovery by increasing the resistance of grains to abrasive milling process. High-proteinrice is more resistant to abrasive milling than low-protein rice (Cagampang et al. 1966).High protein content also has been reported to improve milling and head rice recoverypercentage (Perez et al. 1996). However, other quality parameters, such as kernel lengthand breadth before and after cooking, were not influenced appreciably due to N levels,which might be due to the fact that these parameters are genetic characters.

Conclusion

Cultivation of aromatic rice hybrid PRH-10 proved better as compared to inbred aromaticvarieties, Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati-1 especially in terms of grain yield andprotein content. Pusa Sugandh-3 and Pusa Basmati 1 varieties were mostly superior inquality parameters to PRH-10. Across the varieties/hybrid, wider plant spacing of20620 cm2 proved superior, especially with respect to grain yield and quality. Applicationof 180 kg N ha71 gave the highest grain yield across the cultivars. Hulling, milling andhead rice recovery were higher at wider spacing and with the application of nitrogen. But,kernel length and breadth before and after cooking were unaffected by spacing andnitrogen application.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Head, Division of Agronomy and Director, IndianAgricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, for providing the necessary facilities, supportand cooperation to conduct the present investigation.

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