FOLIAR RESPONSE OF SEAWEED BIOSTIMULANT (SAGARIKA LIQUID)

AND IFFCO NANO UREA ON PADDY PRODUCTIVITY IN CAUVERY

COMMAND AREA

EVALUATION CSR PROJECT PROPOSAL

Submitted
by

VIVEKANANDHA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND RURAL

DEVELOPMENT INSTITUITE
(Unit of Vivekanandha Trust)
525, Sunai Street, Mambattu,
Polur Taluk, Thiruvannamalai District - 606803
Regn No: 14/14
 INTRODUCTION

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important cereal crop in the world, feeds

more than 60 per cent of the world’s population. India is the second largest producer

and consumer of rice. It is believed that rice crop is associated with wet, humid

climate and requires long warm growing season. Rice is grown in India from 8 to 35

degrees north latitude and at elevations ranging from sea level up to 2000 metres.

Throughout the life period of the crop, it needs 21 and 37 0 C temperature averagely.

Ideal soil condition for the rice growth is alluvial loamy and clayey soil.

Rice composed of 80 per cent carbohydrates, 7 to 8 per cent protein, 3 per cent

fat, 3 per cent fibre and very lower amounts of lipid. By knowing its significance,

United Nation designated year 2004 as the “International year of Rice”. Rice

production has a new peak of 118.04 million tonnes in the year 2019 - 2020. It is an

increase of 8.17 million tonnes over the five years average of 109.77 million tonnes

(Department of Agriculture, cooperation and farmers welfare). According to the

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), world rice production in 2020-

2021 will be 503.17 million metric tonnes (FAO STAT 2020-21). Tamil Nadu

amounted to be 7 million metric tonnes. It holds 5 th position in rice cultivation in the

country.

Due to its higher mineral content, starch quality, index and antioxidant

activity has made rice as unique among all food crops. Among all three primary

food crops, rice plays significant role, as it provides the staple diet of roughly half of

the world’s population and its productivity must be raised to keep up with rising

consumption.
 Rice cultivation constraints vary by location, including a lack of optimal yield

response to the application of chemical fertilizers, drought stress and submergence

causing yield loss, also higher dependence of synthetic fertilizers for improving

growth and yield.

In the twenty-first century, the world’s agricultural sector faces new

difficulties, such as declining production and agro-ecosystem degradation.

According to UN predictions, the world human population will approach 9 billion

by 2050, and there has been a steady growth in food consumption while there has

been a scarcity of supply. According to FAO research, by 2050, agricultural

techniques must fundamentally match future world agricultural demands in order

to fulfil forecasted demand.

In India, small and marginal farmers comprise about 86.2 per cent of the total

farmers, who were poor in resources. Synthetic fertilizers boost growth negative

consequences for human health and the environment. Bio resources are optimistic

remedy for replacing the chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

The novel and potential tool for providing subsistence benefits to agriculture

is plant growth promoting microorganisms (Siva Sakthi et al., 2013).

Currently seaweed extracts are widely used as plant stimulants, which are

“any substances or microorganisms applied to plants with the aim to enhance

nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of

its nutrient contents”.

In Tamil Nadu, the rice occupies an area of about 20 million ha, with an

average production of nearly 70-80 lakh tonnes. The Cauvery delta region is the
main rice cultivated zone of Tamil Nadu, Contributing more than 50% cultivable

area of the state (Grassinin et al., 2015). The monocropping of rice in the Deltaic

zone deteriorates soil health and crop productivity. Seaweeds are marine resources

easily available at negligible cost and also rice in bioactive compounds. Hence, a

study is planned to take up with the following objectives:

1. To evaluate the efficacy of certain sea weed based IFFCO biostimulants on the

growth and yield of rice crop in cauvery delta zone of Tamil Nadu.

2. To work out the economics of the product efficacy study in SRI Rice.
 METHODOLOGY

Test Crop Rice

Variety CO51, ADT 37 (Kundu and NLR 34449

(Nellore Masuri)
Location Cauvery Delta, Tamil Nadu
No of crops Rice with 2 Seasons by SRI
Statistical Design FRBD
Plot Size 40 m2 per plot (3 replications/treatment)
Agronomic Practice As per TNAU Crop Production Guide
Method of Cultivation: SRI Cultivation
Mode of Application Foliar Spray on Maximum Tillering, Booting
and soft dough stage (Post Flowering)

Treatment Details:
Total no. of Treatments: 12

Total Replication: 3

Cultivation Method: SRI

Factor 1(Variety): 3

V1: CO51

V2: ADT 37 (Kundu)

V3: NLR 34449 (Nellore Masuri)

Factor 2 (Treatment): 4

T1: Sagarika Liquid @ 5 ml per litre twice at maximum tillering and before panicle
initiation.

T2: IFFCO NANO UREA @ 4 ml per litre

T3: Sagarika Liquid + Nano Urea

T4: Fertilized Control (RDF alone)

Package of Practices: TNAU Crop Production Guide

*RDF: Recommended Dose of Fertilizers

Agronomic Parameters for Observation (Tag 5 Plants for observation per replication)
 1. Plant Height
2. Leaf Length (3rd Leaf)
3. Leaf Breadth (3rd Leaf)
4. Number of leaves per plant
5. No tillers per plant
6. Days to 50 % Flowering
7. Productive tillers (Numbers/plant)
8. Length of panicle (cm)
9. Filled grains (Numbers/panicle)
10. Test weight (g/1000 grains)
11. Total Dry Matter Production (Record as Grain Yield + Straw Yield
Separately)
12. Harvest Index
Economic Analysis

13. Total Cost of Cultivation

14. Net Return

15. Gross Return

16. Benefit Cost Ratio

Soil and Plant Analysis
17. Total N, P & K in Plant Sample
18. Available N, P2O5 and K2Oin soil sample ( Initial and Post Harvest)

The field experimental study will be conducted at a cauvery delta zone of

Tamilnadu during kuruvai season with rice varieties of CO51, ADT 37 (Kundu and

NLR 34449 (Nellore Masuri) as factor 1 and foliar application of Sagarika

Liquid, IFFCO NANO UREA, Sagarika Liquid + Nano Urea and Fertilized Control

(RDF alone) as a factor 2. The experiment will be laid out in a Factorial Randomized

Block Design (FRBD) with three replications with plot size of 40 m2.
 The treatment comprised of foliar spray of sea weed products, Nano urea and

combination as mentioned in above said treatment details. All the treatments will be

conducted as per the SRI method of rice cultivation (Recommended seed rate, mat

nursery, single seedling per hill (12 days old seedling) and spacing adopted 25x25

cm) with regular plant protection measures will be taken up.

The observations viz., Plant Height, Leaf Length (3rd Leaf), Leaf Breadth (3rd Leaf),

Number of leaves per plant, No tillers per plant, Days to 50 % Flowering, Productive

tillers (Numbers/plant), Length of panicle (cm), Filled grains (Numbers/panicle),

Test weight (g/1000 grains), Total Dry Matter Production (Record as Grain Yield +

Straw Yield Separately), Harvest Index and economics like Total Cost of Cultivation,

Net Return, Gross Return and Benefit Cost Ratio will be worked out.

Initial soil samples and post harvest soil samples will be collected and analyzed

for the soil fertility parameters [Organic carbon (%), pH, EC (dsm -1) available N,P,K

(kg/ha) etc.,]. All the parameters will be analyzed using statistical tools.
 N
Fig.1 Layout of the experimental field

V1 T1 R1 V1 T1 R2 V1 T1 R3

V1 T2 R1 V1 T2 R2 V1 T2 R3

V1 T3 R1 V1 T3 R2 V1 T3 R3

V1 T4 R1 V1 T4 R2 V1 T4 R3

V2 T1 R1 V2 T1 R2 V2 T1 R3

V2 T2 R1 V2 T2 R2 V2 T2 R3

V2 T3 R1 V2 T3 R2 V2 T3 R3

V2 T4 R1 V2 T4 R2 V2 T4 R3

V3 T1 R1 V3 T1 R2 V3 T1 R3

V3 T2 R1 V3 T2 R2 V3 T2 R3

V3 T3 R1 V3 T3 R2 V3 T3 R3

V3 T4 R1 V3 T4 R2 V3 T4 R3
 PROPOSED BUDGET

S.No Details Season – I Season – II Total

1. Manpower 2,00,000.00 2,00,000.00 4,00,000.00

2. Product Testing 30,000.00 30,000.00 60,000.00

3. Consumables/Contingency 35,000.00 35,000.00 70,000.00

4. Field Trial 50,000.00 50,000.00 1,00,000.00

5. Travel 30,000.00 30,000.00 60,000.00

6. Over Head Charges (10 %) 34,500.00 34,500.00 69,000.00

Total 3,79,500.00 3,79,500.00 7,59,000.00