Effect of Bio-fertilizers, Organic Manure and Micronutrients on Zinc and Iron Uptake in Scented Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh, India

Nutrient management through organics plays a major role in maintaining soil health due to build-up of soil organic matter, beneficial microbes and enzymes, besides improving soil physical and chemical properties. Therefore, combined use of organic manure and inorganic fertilizers in an integrated manner will give better performance in cereals by sustaining higher yield and maintaining soil health as well. Field experiments were conducted during Kharif seasons of 2021 and 2022 at Crop Research Farm, Nawabganj, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment consisted three varieties of scented rice (PB-1509, PB-1121 and PB-1), three bio-fertilizer and organic manure levels (BGA @ 10 kg ha-1, FYM @10 t ha-1 and BGA @ 10 kg ha-1 + FYM @10 t ha-1) and three nutrient management treatments (NPK- 120:60:60 kg ha-1 only, NPK + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 as basal + FeSO4 1% sprayed at tillering stage and NPK + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 as basal + FeSO4 1% sprayed at panicle initiation stage). The treatments were accommodated in split-split plot design with three replications. The soil of experimental field was sandy loam in texture having low organic carbon (0.39 %), medium in available nitrogen (179 kg ha-1), low in available phosphorus (13.0 kg ha-1), medium in available potassium (156 kg ha-1), low in available zinc (0.58 mg ha-1) and normal in available iron (7.83 mg ha-1) with normal pH (7.95). Pooled results of two years experimentation indicated that highest value of zinc concentration (35.17, 34.67 and 33.73 ppm) and iron concentration (37.78, 37.51 and 36.57 ppm) was recorded under the variety PB-1121, BGA @ 10 kg ha-1 + FYM @ 10 t ha-1 and NPK (120:60:60 kg ha-1) + ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 as basal + FeSO4 1% sprayed at tillering stage respectively.