Diatomite and rice husk biochar as silicon source and its effect on yield of wetland rice Sandhya Kollalu*, Prakash Nagabovanalli B. Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, Karnataka *Corresponding author Email: sandhyak739@gmail.com
Online published on 28 January, 2019. Abstract Field experiments were carried out during summer and kharif of 2015 and kharif of 2016 with and without application of silicon (Si) under rice cropped and non-cropped condition. Diatomite and rice husk biochar was used as Si source and applied @ 300 kg ha-1 and 2 t ha-1, respectively. The continual application of Si increased the straw and grain yield consistently compared to control. Straw and grain Si content and its uptake also increased with application of Si but not significantly differed. Treatment under the cropping situation recorded higher soil pH. Although, there was no significant difference in electrical conductivity (EC) among the treatments, post-harvest soils recorded higher values than initial soil. Plant available Si content in post-harvest soil was significantly higher in control where no crop was grown with or without added Si. However, in the presence of rice crop, soil Si content decreased and/or was on par with the other treatments. Top Keywords Diatomite, rice husk biochar, silicon, rice, growth, yield. Top |