Evaluation of Integrated nutrient management practices on growth, yield parameters and yield of improved traditional rice in the western zone of Tamil Nadu

Farmers have recently relied on chemical fertilizers, particularly macronutrients, to boost rice yields. It leads to many problems, mainly rapidly declining soil fertility, soil and water quality, resulting in global environmental issues. With this view, a study aimed to evaluate different organic manures and inorganic fertilizers in an integrated manner and their effect on increasing rice (CO 57) yield. The study was conducted on Wetland farm, Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during Early kar, 2023. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design (RBD), and it had three replications and twelve treatments. The treatments included nutrient management practices and foliar spray of micronutrients. The results revealed that higher plant height (85.0 cm), total number of tillers m-2 (298), Leaf area index (4.99) and dry matter production (5298 kg ha-1), number of productive tillers m-2 (309), number of filled grains panicle-1 (176) and 1000 grain weight (22.00 g), grain yield (3972 kg ha-1) and straw yield (5798 kg ha-1) were recorded with the combined application of 50 % recommended dose of nitrogen through inorganic fertilizer + 50 % recommended dose of nitrogen through vermicompost + foliar spray of 0.5 % ZnSO4 + 1 % FeSO4 at tillering, PI and flowering stage (T11) compared to other practices. The use of inorganic fertilizers combined with organic sources applied to the soil enhanced plant quality and yield sustainably without harming the natural ecosystem. Integrated nutrient management (INM) in rice significantly improved overall crop response, leading to optimal growth characteristics and yield attributes.