Effects of Planting Techniques and Weed Management Strategies on the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Paddy in North Bihar

Jay Prakash Ravi

Research Scholar, Jai Prakash University, Chapra, Bihar, India.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: jayprakash.ravi85@gmail.com

Abstract:

The study was performed during the kharif seasons to examine the effects of weed control techniques and planting methods on the quality, yield, and growth of paddy. Four crop planting methods as planted rice, direct seeded rice, drum seeded rice, and the system of rice intensification (SRI) and four weed control strategies as bispyribac sodium 25gha⁻¹ at 25 DAS/T, bispyribac sodium 25gha⁻¹ at 25 DAS/T combined with hand weeding at 40 DAS/T, two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS/T, and a weedy check were held using a split-plot design with three replications. Relative to alternative weed management techniques, hand weeding (20 and 40 DAS/T) demonstrated superior maximum plant height, shoot density/m², dry matter accumulation, grain yield, and nitrogen uptake by the crop. The SRI method exhibited superior results in comparison to other planting methods.

KEYWORDS: Rice, Transplanting, SRI and Weed Management.

INTRODUCTION:

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the primary staple food for over 50% of the global population due to its monetary benefits and caloric contribution. In 2019, the annual production of rice was approximately 758.92 million tonnes (503.80 million tonnes, milled basis), with a productivity of 4.67 tonnes per hectare. Rice is cultivated on a global scale, covering an area of approximately 162.48 million hectares. It is used as a staple food crop and consumed as cooked rice due to its exceptional carbohydrate and, to a lesser extent, protein content. It is also used in numerous preparations and has commercial and industrial significance. Additionally, its straw and hull are employed in the production of cardboard, as well as for fodder, mulching, packaging, and insulation. To satisfy the growing population and preserve self-sufficiency, the current production level must be increased by 140 million tonnes by 2025. This can be accomplished by increasing rice production by more than 2 million tonnes annually in the upcoming decade¹. This task must be accomplished in the context of a diminishing natural resource base, including land, labour, water, and other inputs, while ensuring that the quality of the environment is not compromised.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a collection of practices that were initially implemented in Madagascar in the early 1980s to address the issue of soil acidity. SRI primarily emphasizes the utilization of the early growth vigor of seedlings, which reduces competition for light and nutrients, improves resource use efficiency (seeds, water, fertilizer, and pesticides), and reduces overdependence on chemical fertilizers. This approach also eliminates soil anoxia conditions, promotes healthy root growth, and increases soil microbial activity, thereby increasing soil organic matter content. The SRI method has been demonstrated to conserve 22% and 38% of water during the dry and wet seasons, respectively, in comparison to the conventional method. The SRI method has the potential to generate a 16.6% higher grain yield than traditional transplanting due to its increased growth attributes and total biomass. Due to the diversity and severity of weed infestations, the absence of a standing water layer to suppress weeds during rice emergence, and the fact that rice and weed seedlings emerge simultaneously, weed control in DSR systems is notoriously difficult. In direct drill-seeded rice systems, a variety of herbicides have been screened and determined to be effective for pre-plant/burn-down, pre-emergence, and post-emergence weed control^2,3.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The laboratory work took place at the Department of Botany, Jai Prakash University Chapra (Bihar), and the field experiment was carried out in rice fields located in the Saran district during two consecutive kharif seasons in 2023 and 2024. The area exhibits a sub-humid climate marked by an average annual rainfall of around 1200 mm. Ninety percent of this precipitation occurs from mid-June to the end of September. During the winter season, unexpected rain showers can frequently take place. The winter season is characterized by cold temperatures. The late spring period is marked by elevated temperatures and arid conditions, accompanied by prevalent hot westerly breezes from mid-April to mid-June. The soil had a pH level of 7.8 and was characterized by soil composition.

The soil had concentrations of 200.30 kg ha⁻¹ of NP, 19.55 kg ha⁻¹ of K, and 300.40 kg ha⁻¹ of the other nutrient, respectively. The study involved four methods of rice planting: direct seeding of rice under puddle conditions, drum seeding, transplanting, and the system of rice intensification. Additionally, four weed control methods were applied: bispyribac sodium at 25 gha⁻¹ at 25 DAS/T, bispyribac sodium at 25gha⁻¹ at 25 DAS/T combined with hand weeding at 40 DAS/T, two hand-trashing at 20 and 40 DAS/T, and a weedy examination. A split plot design featuring three replications was used to evaluate these treatments.

The NDR-97 variety exhibits non-lodging traits, moderate tillering (9-14) and medium-broad leaves, along with a delayed senescence process. This variety generally produces a yield ranging from 25 to 30 quintals per hectare. This is advised for rain-fed and upland regions in North Bihar. The suggested application rates for potassium and phosphorus set at 40 and 60 kg/ha, respectively, were consistently applied as a basal treatment during the puddling process, using a single superphosphate and muriate of potash. This facilitated the compaction of the upper soil layer. Nitrogen was applied at a rate of 120 kg/ha through urea, which was divided into three equal portions for distribution.

The seed rate for broadcasting was established at 100 kg/ha, whereas for drum seeding, it was set at 20 kg/ha. This procedure was observed in the context of the sowing methods employed, specifically in the direct seeding treatments that encompassed both direct seeding and drum seeding techniques.

The sowing in the direct seeding plots was carried out following the designated treatments, employing both broadcast methods and a drum seeder. The seed underwent a 12-hour soaking in water, after which it was placed in a pile and covered with a damp gunny bag for an additional 24 hours to promote sprouting. The puddles in drum seeding plots were conducted right before the sowing of seeds. This procedure consisted of two cross-cultivation followed by planting of sprouted rice seeds in rows spaced 20 cm apart using a drum saw. Direct seeding techniques encompassed the broadcasting of sprouted seeds, whereas alternative approaches entailed the arrangement of seeds in rows spaced 20cm apart.

When the upper part of the spikelet turned brown and the grain became hard, with moisture levels between 15 and 18%, the crop was manually harvested using sickles. To begin with, the net area was delineated by eliminating two border rows from every plot. The collected material was allowed to remain in the same plots for a period of three days for sun drying, with each net plot area being gathered individually. The collected material from each net plot was then assembled into bundles with rope, accurately labeled and finally moved to the threshing floor for the threshing process of the crop.

The measurement of plant height was conducted from the soil surface to the apex of the uppermost leaf heading, as well as to the base of the panicle after heading. As a result, the mean height values were established. During the harvest, a quadrant with dimensions of 50 cm×50 cm was used to quantify the number of shoots per square meter. The quadrant was gathered from four unique sites within each plot. The counted shoots were averaged and presented as the number of shoots/m². Dry matter accumulation was documented during the harvest phase. The dry matter from each plot was documented within a 50 cm×50 cm area with samples carefully cut close to the ground surface. The samples were gathered in paper bags, sliced into small fragments and subjected to an electric oven at 70±1⁰C until they achieved a stable weight following sun drying. The weight was then assessed with an electronic balance and expressed as dry matter accumulation (gm⁻²). The yield of grains derived from straw, along with the separation of cleared grain from each net plot was quantified in kg and later converted to quintals per hectare for the purpose of statistical analysis. The nitrogen content of grains and straw was assessed through Kjeldahl's method, originally established by Jackson in 1973 for determining nitrogen levels in both straw and grain. The micro Kjeldahl method was used to assess the nitrogen concentrations in the ground crop samples, which were dried in the oven⁴. The nitrogen uptake for each component was determined by multiplying the nitrogen concentration by the corresponding total dry matter production (biological yield) as:-

N uptake by crop (kgha^-1)=Percent N content×(dry weight in kgha^-1)/100

The Nessler's reagent method was employed to assess the total nitrogen content of the oven-dried rice grain samples. The nitrogen content, as determined by the aforementioned method, was multiplied by 6.25 to determine the protein content of rice grains.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The maximum plant height was observed using SRI methods, comparable to the transplanting technique. Both DSR methodologies yielded comparable readings of plant heights. The integration of bispyribac-Na and hand weeding at 40 days after sowing (DAS) yielded the greatest plant height, significantly above the results of two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS, the application of bispyribac-Na alone, and the weedy control. This outcome was comparable to that of two manual weedings conducted 60 days post-sowing in the initial year of the trial. The increased growth observed in taller plants post-transplantation can be ascribed to improved initial planting techniques, greater cell division, and elongation in the meristematic tissues. Reduced plant congestion, along with lower weed density and dry weight from these specific treatments, stimulates this growth. The results correspond with the studies conducted by Mankotia et al.⁵, Khattak et al.⁶ and Prasad et al.⁷.

The SRI and transplanting approaches demonstrated a markedly higher number of shoots at the harvest stage in comparison to alternative planting methods. Nonetheless, the SRI strategy was determined to be analogous to the transplanting procedure. The maximum number of shoots was recorded with two-hand weeding (20 & 40 DAS/T), equivalent to the results of bispyribac-Na and hand weeding at 40 DAS/T, and was more effective than bispyribac-Na alone and the weedy control. The observed benefit can be ascribed to less competition from agricultural weeds due to these weed management strategies. This reduction enhances the utilization of nutrients, sunlight, moisture, and space by agricultural plants, hence fostering greater growth and development ^8,9. 

The accumulation of dry matter exhibited a significant increase attributable to several planting techniques at harvest, with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) approach achieving the highest levels of dry matter accumulation in comparison to transplanting, drum-seeded rice, and direct-seeded methods. The findings demonstrated that it was statistically equivalent to the transplanting procedure, with the minimal dry matter accumulation per unit area observed in direct-seeded rice plots across both years of the study. Among the weed control approaches, two-hand weeding (20 & 40 DAS/T) exhibited a clear superiority over other treatments and was statistically comparable to bispyribac-Na at 25 g ha⁻¹ and hand weeding at 40 DAS/T. The SRI method likely saw limited competition from weeds, leading to increased dry matter accumulation aligned with previous researches^2,5,10.

Table 1: Effect of planting methods and weed control practices on growth parameters and grains yield of paddy crop

Treatments	Plant-height (cm) at harvest		No. of shoots/ m^2 at harvest		Dry matter (g/m^2) at harvest		Grain yield (q/ha)
	2023	2024	2023	2024	2023	2024	2023	2024
Planting methods
Transplanting (20cm×10cm)	74.75	78.43	343.45	346.23	667.46	675.21	29.10	31.53
Direct seeded rice (20cm apart)	62.38	64.41	278.17	279.53	527.24	534.69	20.37	21.37
Drum seeded rice  (20cm×10cm)	67.04	71.31	311.89	603.82	603.82	611.35	26.24	28.21
SRI (20cm×10cm)	79.32	81.72	361.16	692.78	690.63	701.43	31.34	33.42
S.Em±	2.07	2.19	8.97	15.94	15.87	15.93	0.784	0.786
CD (P=0.05)	6.98	7.42	31.24	56.96	56.48	56.59	2.752	3.01
Weed control practices
Bispyribac sodium	68.94	73.82	311.49	314.02	659.73	669.13	26.58	28.62
Bispyribac Na+40 DAST hand-weeding	79.61	81.70	346.45	349.17	669.17	710.02	32.56	34.16
20, 40 DAS hand-weeding	77.12	78.42	354.76	358.31	705.21	716.16	33.19	35.43
Weedy check	59.63	59.86	281.08	283.20	427.56	433.72	15.79	16.74
SEm±	1.06	1.12	5.09	10.62	10.32	10.61	0.386	0.432
CD (P=0.05)	3.03	3.24	13.23	29.44	29.87	30.31	1.113	1.214

The SRI method, in comparison to transplantation, yields greater grain outputs, likely due to increased dry matter production per unit area. This improvement is attributed to enhanced nutrient absorption from the soil, elevated metabolic process rates, improved light absorption, heightened photosynthetic activity, and a greater number of leaves. The transplanting method exhibited a notably higher harvest index in comparison to alternative planting methods and was determined to be statistically similar to both SRI and drum-seeded rice. This increase can be linked to a comparable rise in grain observed across all methods. In the context of weed management practices, manual weeding performed twice (20 & 40 DAS/T) showed effectiveness similar to that of bispyribac-Na at 25 g ha⁻¹, particularly when combined with hand weeding at 40 DAS/T. This combination led to significantly higher grain yields compared to the application of bispyribac-Na at 25 g ha⁻¹ alone and the weedy examination. Ahmed et al.¹¹ presented findings that are consistent with previous research.

The relationship between weed management practices and planting methods had a notable impact on grain yield in the years 2023 and 2024. Table 2 demonstrates that the grain yield of paddy was notably influenced by different planting methods, whereas the weed control treatments showed stability. The data shows that the grain yield from the SRI and transplanting methods was notably higher than that from the direct-seeded rice and drum-seeding methods when evaluated at the same level. The drum seeding method demonstrated a notable superiority over the direct-seeded rice method when evaluated under identical weed management practices. The trend exhibited a stable pattern throughout both years of the experiment. The combination of two hand weeding sessions at 20 and 40 days after sowing, along with the application of bispyribac-Na at a rate of 25 g per hectare and an additional hand weeding session at 40 days post-sowing, demonstrated comparable effectiveness and resulted in a higher grain yield than either the application of bispyribac-Na alone or the weedy control, all using the same planting methods. The grain yield of bispyribac-Na at 25 g ha⁻¹ consistently surpassed that of the weedy examination across all planting methods throughout the experimental years of 2023 and 2024 evidenced by significant degree of alignment with previous studies^2,7,11,12.

Table 2: Interaction effect of different planting methods and weed management practices on grain yield (q ha-1)

Grain yield 2023
Treatments	Trans	DSR	Drum	SRI
Bispyribac Na	29.75	20.74	26.87	31.23
Bispyribac Na+40 DAS/T Hand weeding	36.74	25.34	31.97	37.84
Two hand weeding 20 & 40 DAS/T	37.36	25.76	32.85	38.96
Weedy check	17.84	11.94	15.83	18.72
SEm+	0.77
CD (P=0.05)	(i) A as B level=2.39
	(ii) B different to A level=3.47
Grain yield 2024
Treatments	Trans	DSR	Drum	SRI
Bispyribac Na	32.12	22.11	28.14	33.42
Bispyribac Na+40 DAS/T Hand weeding	39.97	27.35	34.93	40.89
Two hand weeding 20 & 40 DAS/T	40.17	27.43	35.36	41.57
Weedy check	19.39	12.94	16.87	19.98
SEm+	0.84
CD (P=0.05)	(i) A as B level=2.42
	(ii) B different to A level=3.32

The SRI yielded more grain and straw than other planting systems with appropriate nitrogen uptake, which was markedly affected by the different weed management techniques. The nitrogen uptake values were significantly greater than those of the weedy control and bispyribac-Na at 25 g/ha when paired with one-handed weeding at 40 DAS/T and manual weeding conducted twice (at 20 and 40 DAS/T). The likely cause is the improved weed management strategies regarding dry weight (Table 3) aligned with researches^13,14.

Table 3: Effect of planting methods and weed control on quality parameter of paddy crop

Treatments	N uptake gh^-1 (percent)							% grain protein
	Grain				Straw
	2023		2024		2023		2024	2023	2024
Planting methods
Transplanting (20cm×10cm)	1.18		1.21		0.46		0.48	7.23	7.38
Sprout seeding in line (20cm apart)	1.10		1.13		0.43		0.45	6.98	7.66
Sprout drum seeding (20cm×10cm)	1.11		1.12		0.43		0.44	7.03	7.14
SRI (20cm×10cm)	1.23		1.25		0.48		0.49	7.76	7.19
SEm±	0.032		0.030		0.010		0.010	0.202	0.211
CD (P=0.05)	NS		NS		NS		NS	NS	NS
Weed control practices
Bispyribac Na		1.16		1.18		0.46	0.47	7.34	7.50
Bispyribac Na+40 DAS/T Hand weeding		1.15		1.18		0.46	0.47	7.33	7.49
Two hand weeding 20 & 40 DAS/T		1.15		1.18		0.46	0.47	7.32	7.48
Weedy check		1.15		1.18		0.46	0.47	7.32	7.48
SEm±		0.017		0.018		0.007	0.008	0.203	0.114
CD (P=0.05)		NS		NS		NS	NS	NS	NS

A comprehensive data analysis (Table 4) demonstrated that planting methods significantly influenced the crop's nitrogen absorption, despite uniform weed control treatments. The results were unequivocal: SRI and transplanting at parity demonstrated significantly enhanced nitrogen uptake relative to direct sowing treatments. Nevertheless, the drum seeding technique demonstrated a significant advantage over the direct seeding method in terms of nitrogen absorption by the paddy crop when assessed under the same weed management measures. Consistent results were recorded in both years of the investigation. Under consistent planting methods, the two hand weeding sessions conducted at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS), combined with bispyribac-Na at 25 g ha⁻¹, as well as hand weeding at 40 DAS demonstrated significant superiority over bispyribac-Na alone and the weedy control across various weed management strategies. However, the crop's nitrogen absorption was significantly greater than that of the weedy control when bispyribac-Na was sprayed alone at a rate of 25 g ha⁻¹ using the same planting methods, in 2023 and 2024.

Table 4: Interaction effect of planting methods and weed control practices on N uptake by grains

Nitrogen uptake by grains 2023
Treatments	Trans	DSR	Drum	SRI
Bispyribac Na	36.99	23.54	29.94	38.53
Bispyribac Na+40 DAS/T Hand weeding	44.87	28.67	36.98	47.95
Two hand weeding 20 & 40 DAS/T	45.07	28.92	37.24	47.91
Weedy check	21.98	14.12	17.86	23.42
SEm±	0.93
CD (P=0.05)	(i) A as B level=2.83
	(ii) B different to A level=4.11
Nitrogen uptake by grains 2024
Treatments	Trans	DSR	Drum	SRI
Bispyribac Na	40.14	25.84	33.26	42.94
Bispyribac Na+40 DAS/T Hand weeding	49.18	31.29	40.35	51.84
Two hand weeding 20 & 40 DAS/T	49.62	31.46	40.98	52.78
Weedy check	23.93	15.34	19.84	25.34
SEm±	1.04
CD (P=0.05)	(i) A as B level=3.04
	(ii) B different to A level=4.52

Previous researches^13,14 have reported various findings regarding the efficacy of different weed management strategies and planting methodologies.

CONCLUSION:

The SRI and transplanting techniques showed superior efficacy in weed elimination, resulting in improved growth, yield, and nitrogen absorption by the paddy crop throughout the study period. The weedy plot and direct sowing of rice caused the most nitrogen loss from the soil. The most effective strategy in paddy crops involved the post-emergence application of bispyribac sodium at 25 g/ha, supplemented by hand weeding at 40 DAS in the rice fields.

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Received on 11.06.2026     Revised on 25.06.2026

Accepted on 09.07.2026   Published on 14.07.2026

Available online from July 25, 2026

Research J. Science and Tech. 2026; 18(3):293-298.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2988.2026.00041

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