Abstract:
A pot culture trial was conducted using the soil belonging to the order
Entisols collected from Pattambi and Trivandrum districts of Kerala. Skipping basal
application of muriate of potash along with urea and application of potassic fertilizer
at maximum tillering and reproductive stages enhanced grain yield for the medium
duration variety Jaya by increasing number of earheads, thousand grain weight and
increasing the percentage of fertile grains per panicle. Skipping of potassic fertilizers
as basal dose increased soil availability of NHJon nitrogen, the most important
from of nitrogen utilized by submerged rice. Initial growth stage was considered as
one of the most efficient periods of utilization of nitrogen by rice. For a short
duration variety like Triveni 1 7.5 kg K20/ha was found sufficient for obtaining maximum
yield. A small basal dose of potassic fertilizers was found required for short
duration varieties for obtaining maximum yield.
