Zinc Management In Rice

In the initial years of the introduction of high yielding rice varieties, marked response to nitrogen followed by phosphorus was observed, but during last few years at many places, the normal growth of high yielding rice varieties could not be obtained in spite of judicious fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. In all such cases, soil analysis pin pointed zinc deficiency as the primary limiting factor in rice production. Since zinc deficiency appears right from seedling stage, hence nursery treatment should also from the part of zinc management in rice. Moreover in soils, where zinc deficiency is not so intense, nursery management alone may take care of marginal deficiencies. A review of literature from India and abroad presented in chapter-2, show paucity of information on most of the aspects related to zinc management. Keeping these aspects in view, the present experiment "zinc management in rice" was taken up. The treatments comprised of rates, sources and methods of zinc application in the nursery as well as transplanted field to find out the best combination of zinc application in nursery as well as transplanted field.