Effect of Period of Soil Moisture Stress at Panicle Initiation and Flowering Stages on Nutrient Uptake and Post-Harvest Soil Nutrient Status in Rice.

A field study was conducted to quantify the effect of moisture stress on nutrient uptake and post-harvest available soil nutrient status of rice in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during Kuruvai (July-November) 2019 and Navarai (December-March) 2019-20 seasons. Nine treatments, viz., Moisture stress at panicle initiation stage for 10 days (T1), 15 days (T2), 20 days (T3) and 25 days (T4), moisture stress at flowering stage for 10 days (T5), 15 days (T6), 20 days (T7) and 25 days (T8) along with control - maintaining saturation (T9) were tested under randomized complete block design with three replications. Moisture stress was imposed by withdrawing water and not irrigating in the defined period. The result showed that significantly higher total drymatter production and N, P and K nutrient uptake (grain, straw and total) during both the seasons were observed in T9 treatment than all other moisture stress imposed treatments. The least uptake of N, P and K in grain, straw and total was recorded in T4 and was statistically at par with T3. There was reverse trend on post-harvest soil nutrient status (NPK). The study revealed that moisture stress was more sensitive during panicle initiation stage than flowering stage, which directly influenced the uptake of nutrients in rice and there was a reverse trend on post-harvest soil available nutrients (NPK). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]