Abstract:Treatments comprised of the eleven organic and inorganic nutrient management
viz. 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with PSB and Azotobacter (T1), 100% RDN (organic) + 10% foliar spray of cow urine (T2), 100% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine (T3), 75% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with PSB and Azotobacter (T4), 75% RDN (organic) + 10% foliar spray of cow urine (T5), 75% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine (T6), 100% RDN (organic), (Natural farming practices) (T7), 100% RDN (inorganic) (T8), 100% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with PSB and Azotobacter + 10% cow urine (T9), 75% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with PSB and Azotobacter + 10% cow urine (T10), control (0% RDN) (T11). Cow urine 10% and 20% was sprayed at 30 and 60 DAT in standing crop. Nursery raising started on 15/7/19 with 60 kg seed rate ha
-1 and 25 days old seedlings were transplanted in 10/08/19 in the spacing 20 X 10 cm (Row X Plant), N:P
2O
5:K
2O 60:40:30 kg ha
-1. Half dose of N and total P, K has applied a basal dose and the remaining half of the Nitrogen was administered separately at two times i.e. 1
st at tillering stage and 2
nd panicle initiation stage. Azotobacter and PSB culture were applied before transplanting as a root treatment in the seedling stage and foliar application of cow urine 10% was done at 30 and 60 days after transplanting.
The result revealed that the application of 100% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with Azotobactor and PSB + 10% cow urine (T9) and among organic treatments 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with PSB and Azotobacter (600 g ha-1 of seed) (T1) increased growth parameters and yield and yield attributes was significantly higher over other treatments. The rice responded favorably to the 100% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB + 10% cow urine (T9) treatment for achieving higher growth and yield attributes, viz. number of tillers hill-1 (8.20), dry matter accumulation (42.17 g hill-1), CGR, RGR, LAI (4.91), HI (32.70%), number of effective tillers (370 m-2), number of filled grains panicle-1 (207), panicle length (22.80 cm), 1000-grain weight (16.78 g), lower sterility (9.57%), but in case of organic treatments, 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB (T1) gave significantly higher growth and yield attributes, viz. number of tillers hill-1 (8.00), dry matter accumulation (41.12 g hill-1), CGR, RGR, LAI (4.86), HI (32.54%), number of effective tillers (350 m-2), number of filled grains panicle-1 (204), panicle length (22.47 cm), 1000-grain weight (16.63 g), lower sterility (10.26%), followed by 100% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T3) and 100% RDN (organic) + 10% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T2), among other organic treatments for yield and yield attributes. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content and uptake in rice grain and straw were significantly higher under 100% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB + 10% cow urine (T9) and the minimum under T11 (Control (0% RDN). In case of organic treatment, 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB (T1) was found significantly superior for higher nutrient content and uptake followed by 100% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T3) and 100% RDN (organic) + 10% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T2). Combined application of 100% RDN (inorganic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB + 10% cow urine (T9) was found most suitable and in case of organic treatment 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB (T1) significantly higher followed by 100% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T3) and 100% RDN (organic) + 10% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T2) for enhancing rice quality parameters like hulling, milling and protein percentage. The integration of 100% RDN through the inorganic nutrient source (RDF) along with the use of organic nutrient source (Azotobacter and PSB + 10% cow urine) proved most remunerative for achieving higher gross return (₹88,342), with the highest net return (₹62,292) and B:C ratio (3.93) In case of organic farming 100% RDN (organic) + seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB (T1) fetched significantly higher gross return (₹68,427), net return (₹41,560) and B:C ratio (2.74) followed by 100% RDN (organic) + 20% foliar spray of cow urine at 30 and 60 DAT (T3) with gross return (₹68,028), net return (₹41,478) and B:C ratio (2.53) among all other organic treatments.