Effect of planting density and number of seedlings per hill on certain yield and quality traits in rice

The present study was initiated for two consecutive years to find out the effect of planting density and number of seedlings per hill on certain yield and quality traits in rice. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with three replications as number of seedlings per hill as main plot, planting density as sub-plot and variety as sub-sub plot. It was concluded that the increase in planting density from 33 plants/m2 to 67 plants/m² increased the milling recovery and head rice recovery in all cases. Further, milling recovery and head rice recovery significantly increased with increase in number of seedlings planted per hill from 1 to 3, suggesting that with higher number of main tillers contribute to higher milling and head rice recovery. The economic benefit for all the varieties was highest at S2D1 (2 seedlings/hill and 33 hill/m²) in all the cases, which was mainly due to optimum head rice yield and lower seed cost at this treatment. Further, maximum ear bearing tillers (EBT), fertile spikelets per panicle and grain yield was observed with one seedling/hill.