Effect of Irrigation Scheduling and Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield Attributes and Productivity of Direct-Seeded Rice under Vindhya Plateau Conditions of Madhya Pradesh, India

Rice is a key global staple crop, but conventional transplanting systems face increasing challenges from water scarcity and rising production costs, making direct-seeded rice a more sustainable and resource-efficient alternative. A field investigation was carried out during the Kharif seasons of 2021 and 2022 at the Agriculture Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Rabindranath Tagore University, Raisen (Madhya Pradesh), to evaluate the influence of irrigation scheduling and nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. PB-1). The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes, viz., continuous flooding with 5 cm water depth, maintenance of soil saturation up to tillering followed by flooding from tillering to flowering and thereafter saturation till harvest, and alternate wetting and drying at 10-day intervals, along with five nutrient levels ranging from control to 125% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 120:60:40 NPK), replicated thrice. Among irrigation treatments, maintenance of saturation up to tillering followed by flooding exhibited superior performance, recording higher plant height (97.2 and 98.4 cm), grain yield (52.9 and 54.3 q ha⁻¹), and harvest index (43.59 and 42.18%) during 2021 and 2022, respectively, whereas continuous flooding resulted in higher tiller density (224.1 and 229.2 m⁻²). Application of 125% RDF significantly enhanced growth and yield attributes, producing maximum plant height (97.5 and 98.7 cm), tiller density (239.6 and 246.5 m⁻²), and dry matter accumulation (598.2 and 602.5 g m⁻²). Yield attributes such as panicle length (27.2 and 27.8 cm), panicle weight (3.25 and 3.32 g), and grain filling (89.28 and 90.36%) were also maximized under this treatment. The highest grain yield (56.4 and 57.1 q ha⁻¹) and biological yield (130.56 and 132.64 q ha⁻¹) were recorded with 125% RDF. The interaction effect indicated that the combination of saturation up to tillering followed by flooding with 125% RDF was most effective in enhancing productivity under Vindhya Plateau conditions.