Agronomic management
The recommended good agronomic practices are mentioned below.
Seed treatment: Seed bio-priming with Trichoderma harzianum or Pseudomonas flourescens 0.5% W.P. @ 10 g /kg of paddy seeds is helpful to keep the crop disease free at early stage of crop growth.
Optimum seed rate: The optimum seed rate for HYV is 12-14kg/acre and for hybrids use 5-6 kg/acre.
Line transplanting of seedlings of 3–4-week age, 15-20 cm height, 4-5 leaves, 2-3 seedlings per hill with 20 cm x 15 cm ensures optimum plant population per unit area. For hybrids use younger seedlings of 14-21 days, 1-2 seedlings per hill at 20 X 15 cm.
For Mechanical transplanting, mat type seedlings are grown by sowing rice seeds on a thin layer (1.5 - 2.0 cm) of soil and FYM or compost or vermicompost mixture (4:1) in a specifically designed frame or fields by using polythene sheets/ concrete floor/seedling trays. The seedlings grown on polythene sheet in the field need to be cut into desired shapes. Seedling raised in one cent is sufficient to transplant one acre and are ready for planting within 14-20 days.
Nutrient management
For rice nursery apply 2.5: 5.0:5.0 g of N: P: K + 0.5 kg FYM/m2 of nursery.
For transplanted high yielding varieties (HYV) of rice 80:40:40 NPK/ha is the recommendation. Apply 50% nitrogen and all phosphate and potash fertilizer at the time of final puddling and incorporate the fertilizer thoroughly in the soil. Apply 25% nitrogen at tillering stage (3 weeks after transplanting), rest 25% at 18 to 20 days before heading (panicle initiation stage).
Transplanted rice (hybrids), recommended dose is 120:60:60 NPK/ha. Apply 25% nitrogen and all phosphate and 3/4th of potash fertilizer at final puddling and incorporate the fertilizer thoroughly in the soil. Apply 40% nitrogen at tillering stage (3 week after transplanting). Apply 25% N and K at 18 to 20 days before heading (panicle initiation stage). Apply rest 10% of N at flowering.
In zinc deficient areas apply once in two years Zinc Sulphate @ 25 kg/ha at the time of final land preparation (once in 2-year cycle). On appearance of deficiency symptom in the field spray 0.5% ZnSO4 solution (2kg ZnSO4 +10kg of lime in 400 litres of water in one acre) thrice at 15 days interval.
In boron deficient soil apply borax @ 5-10 kg/ha at the time of final land preparation on soil testing. In case of appearance of boron deficiency in the field, spray borax or boric acid @ 0.05% for quick recovery.
Weed management
In transplanted rice use Pretilachlor (Refit) @ 600 ml/acre at 1-3 DAT, broadcast mixed with 4kg of sand in saturated soil or Bispyribac-sodium @ 120 ml/acre at 10-15 DAT (2-3 leaf stage of weeds) in 120 lit of water.