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Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at Agricultural Research Station, Kota during Kharif 2019 and 2020 to evaluate the yield and profitability of different crop establishment methods under wet direct seeded system in comparison to the transplanting method. The experiment was laid out in split plot design where treatments comprised of two sowing times (normal and late sown) in main plots and four establishment methods in sub-plots (broadcasting, manual line sowing, drum seeding and transplanting). Results revealed that delayed sowing by 30 days reduced panicles/m2, panicle weight and grain yield by 8.81, 16.42 and 15.87 respectively as compared to normal sowing. Transplanting method recorded maximUm and significantly higher panicles/ m2 (307), panicle weight (4.13 g), test weight (25.08 g), grain yield (5.73 t/ha) and straw yield (8.09 t/ha) over wet direct seeded methods. Among wet-direct seeded methods, drum seeding method recorded maximum panicles/m2 (286), panicle weight (3.78) and test weight (24.54) and grain yield (5.33) and was found at par with manual line sowing. Economic analysis reveals that the highest net returns (Rs. 87833/ha) was obtained under transplanting while drum seeding method (Rs. 85649/ha) was found at par with it. Drum seeding method reduced the cost of cultivation by Rs.7065/ha in comparison to the transplanting method (Rs. 45949/ha) and gave highest B:C ratio (3.22) which was statistically superior to transplanting (2.92) as well as manual line sowing (3.03) and broadcasting (2.85) methods. Use of a drum seeder for direct seeding of paddy under puddled conditions is found to be an alternative option to the transplanting in present study.