Rice Productivity and Profitability Under Different Crop Establishment Methods, Plant Densities and Weed Control in North-Western Indo-Gangetic Plains

The experiments were conducted at Students’ Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during summer seasons of 2009 and 2010 to study the yield and economics of rice under different establishment methods, plant densities and weed control methods. Rice was directly sown with different drills or broadcasting technique and manual transplanting. For weed control, alone pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 0.75 kg ha¹ and sequential application of bispyribac sodium 0.025 kg ha⁻¹/azimsulfuron 0.02 kg ha⁻¹ was done along with one weed free treatment. Grain yield did not vary significantly among establishment methods and the highest benefit:cost ratio (B:C) was obtained when rice was direct seeded with the help of drills. The maximum grain yield (71.06 q ha⁻¹) was recorded in weed free treatment which was statistically at par with sequential use of pendimethalin 0.75 kg ha⁻¹ with bispyribac 0.025 kg or azimsulfuron 0.02 kg ha⁻¹ applied 30 DAS. The B:C ratio increased as seed rate increases from 20 kg to 50 kg ha⁻¹ and it was more for closer spaced direct seeded rice crop.