Management of Herbicidal Phytotoxicity in Wet Seeded Rice

Field experiments were conducted in rabi 1994 and kharif 1995 to study the effect of seed hardening protectants to induce tolerance to wet seeded rice against herbicidal phyloloxieity Seed hardening with CaCl₂, 1%, KH₂PO₄ 1%, cysteine 100 ppm and soil applicaiion of gypsum 500 kg/ha were evaluated for their ability to induce selectivity of wet seeded rice 10 different pre-emergence herbicide applications. Seed hardening treatment with CaCl₂ 1% if, recorded lower phytotoxicity to pre-emergence herbicides as evinced from higher membrane integrity. As a result of better crop stand and growth with CaCl₂ 1% treatment, maximum grain yield of 5.85 and 5.92 t/ha was obtained in rabi 1994 and kharif 1995 seasons. respectively.