INFLUENCE OF SEEDLING AGE AND NUMBER OF SEEDLINGS PER HILL ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BLACK RICE (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh, from June 2021 to December 2021 to study the growth and yield of black rice (Oryza sativa L. indica) as affected by seedling age and seedling rate (no. of seedlings hill -1 ). Black rice was used as the test crop for this experiment. The experiment comprised two factors. Factor A: Seedling age (4 levels); 25 days old seedling, 30 days old seedling, 35 days old seedling, and 40 days old seedling, and Factor B: Seedling rate (no. of seedlings hill -1 ) (3 levels): 1 seedling hill -1 ; 2 seedling hill -1 and 3 seedling hill -1 . The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Due to the combination effect of seedling age and seedling rate, the maximum number of effective tillers hill -1 (14.00) was found in the treatment combination of 35 days old seedlings transplanted in 2 seedlings hill -1 and the minimum number (2.00) in 25 days seedling age with 3 seedlings hill -1 . The longest plant height (184.87 cm) was found in the treatment combination D 4 S 1 (40 days old seedling and 1 seedling hill -1 ), whereas the shortest plant (161.60 cm) was found in the treatment combination D 1 S 3 (25 days old seedling with 3 seedlings hill -1 ). The maximum number of filled grains panicle -1 (353.2) was found in the treatment combination of D 3 S 2 (35 days old seedling and 2 seedlings hill ), and the minimum number (270.73) was found in D 1 1 ). The highest grain yield (5.56 t ha -1 S 3 -1 (25 days old seedling and 3 seedlings hill ) was found in the treatment combination of D 3 (35 days old seedling and 2 seedlings hill -1 ), and the lowest grain yield (2.87 t ha ) was observed from D 1 S 1 (25 days old seedling and 1 seedling hill -1 ), but the highest straw yield (5.69 t ha -1 ) was found in the treatment combination of D 3 S 2 (35 days old seedling and 2 seedlings hill -1 ), and the lowest straw yield (3.66 t ha -1 ) was observed in the treatment combination of D 1 S 3 (25 days old seedling and 3 seedlings hill -1 ). The 35 days old seedlings planted in 2 seedlings hill

-1 showed a better response in most of the studied parameters.