YIELD, QUALITY AND MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS OF LOCAL AND IMPROVED AROMATIC RICE UNDER ORGANIC CULTURE

Abstract

A study was conducted at the Research Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh in Boro (dry) season, 2018-2019 to evaluate the physiological characteristics, yield and quality of local (Kataribhog, Badshabhog and Chinigura) and improved (BRRI dhan37, BRRI dhan38 and BRRI dhan50) aromatic rice varieties under organic cultivation. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Irrespective of cultivars, organic cultivation provided higher plant height (140.74 cm) at maturity in comparison to traditional cultivation (136.23 cm). The highest tillers hill -1 (14.53 and 14.40) was obtained from BRRI dhan38 under both organic and traditional cultivation methods, respectively and it was statistically identical with BRRI dhan50 (14.27 and 13.67). BRRI dhan38 (4.41), BRRI dhan37 (5.22) and BRRI dhan50 (4.86) exhibited significantly higher LAI under organic cultivation compared to the same variet ies with traditional method. Similar trend was found in case of local aromatic one. Panicles hill -1 rose up 18% under organic cultivation, regardless of cultivars. The maximum spikelets panicle -1 (159.67) was achieved from Badshabhog with organic cultivation and the minimum (93.3) was obtained from Chinigura (86.82) under traditional cultivation. The highest grains panicle -1 (141.60) was obtained from Badshabhog followed by BRRI dhan50 (136.81) and Kataribhog-1 (130.47) with organic cultivation and the lowest grains panicle -1 (78.13) was counted from Chinigura with traditional cultivation. The highest grain yield (3.91 t ha ) was obtained from BRRI dhan50 under organic cultivation that was statistically at par with BRRI dhan37 (3.49 t ha -1 ) and BRRI dhan38 (3.45 t ha -1 ) under same cultivation. Organic cultivation increased grain yield (ca.28%), straw yield (ca.41%) and biological yield (ca.34%) in all cultivars compared to traditional method. The highest milling rice yield (72.10%) was recorded in Kataribhog-1 with organic cultivation. BRRI dhan38 gave the highest head rice yield (69.5%) and it was statistically similar to Badshabliog and Kataribhog-1 under organic cultivation. Highest grain length (5.40 mm) and length breadth ratio (2.6) was obtained from BRRI dhan50 with organic cultivation followed by Kataribhog-1 (4.90 mm and 2.51) under same cultivation method. Whereas volume expansion ratio (ca. 7%) was decreased under organic cultivation compared to traditional one. Only the local cultivars, Kataribhog-1, Badshabhog and Chinigura exhibited slight aroma under organic cultivation in Boro season. -1