Performance of rice (Oryza sativa) under varying sources and levels of iron in temperate Kashmir

Field experiment was conducted at Crop Research Farm of Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Wadura during Kharif 2019 to evaluate the effect of different sources and levels of iron on growth, yield and relative economics of rice (Oryza sativa L.) var. Shalimar Rice-4. Four levels of iron (0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1%) supplied through three sources (FeSO₄. 7H₂O, Na-Fe EDTA and Ferric chloride) and one absolute control were laid out in RCBD with each treatment replicated thrice. The results showed that FeSO₄.7H₂O @ 1% recorded significantly higher growth, yield attributes and yield (grain and straw) as compared to other treatments but was statistically comparable with chelated iron @ 1%. However, the highest benefit cost ratio was observed with FeSO₄.7H₂O @ 0.25% as compared to FeSO₄.7H₂O @ 1%. Therefore, it was concluded that iron nutrition proved to be a promising strategy to increase the growth and yield of rice under temperate conditions. FeSO₄.7H₂O @ 1% treatment achieved the higher value of growth, yield attributes and yield of rice whereas the economically sound treatment for providing iron nutrition to rice crop was FeSO₄.7H₂O @ 0.25%.