Performance of Machine Transplanted Rice with Land Preparation Methods

Field experiment on “Effect of land preparation methods and planting geometry on growth and yield of machine transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)” was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Gangavathi, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka during kharif, 2012 and 2013 in clay soil under irrigated condition. Pooled mean indicated that, among the different land preparation methods and planting geometry puddling with rotovator fb levelling with spike tooth harrow and planting geometry of 30 x 21 cm recorded significantly higher yield parameters viz., number of panicles ((372 and 403 m⁻², respectively), Panicle length (19.07 and 20.41, respectively cm) number of grains per panicle (108.95 and 119.57, respectively), number of filled grains per panicle (94.01 and 105.37, respectively), filling per cent (86.31 and 88.23, respectively). Significantly higher gross returns (Rs. 87, 733 and 92, 779 ha⁻¹, respectively), net returns (Rs. 46, 329 and 50, 007 ha⁻¹, respectively) and B: C of 2.14 and 2.20 were noticed with puddling by rotovator fb levelling with spike tooth harrow method of land preparation and planting geometry of 30 x 21 cm. Puddling with rotovator fb levelling with spike tooth harrow and f 30 x 21 cm spacing were found better for transplanting of rice by self propelled mechanical transplanter.