Impact of unpuddled transplanting and crop residue mulching on the yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Description
On-farm research was conducted at the Gouripur upazila under Mymensingh district of Bangladesh during boro (mid November- June) season in 2013-14 and 2014-15 to evaluate the performance of unpuddled rice cultivation with crop residue retention. The rice var. BRRI dhan28 was transplanted by two tillage practices viz., puddled conventional tillage (CT) and non-puddled strip tillage (ST), and two levels of crop residues viz., “no” residue (R0) and 50% residue (R50). The experiment was devised in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results showed no significant yield differences between tillage practices and residue levels in 2013-14. But in the following year, ST yielded higher grains (5.72t ha-1), which was about 9.36% higher compared to CT. The higher grain yield in ST leading to 22.23% higher BCR than CT. Retention of 50% residue increased yield by 3.15% over no-residue, contributing to 10.58% higher BCR. The ST combined 50% residue produced the highest grain yield (5.81 t ha-1), which was credited to obtain the highest BCR (1.06).