Abstract

Field experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore during 2015–16 for maximizing rice production through foliar nutrition at critical phases of crop growth during rabi season. Four different water soluble fertilizers were tested in the studyto find out the best source of foliar fertilizers for increasing growth and productivity of rabi rice. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design and replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of foliar spray 19: 19: 19 @ 1%, mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) @ 1%, potassium nitrate (KNO3) @ 1% and 1% mono potassium phosphate (MKP) at panicle initiation, booting and 50% flowering stages followed by 10 days after 1st spray, respectively. These foliar nutrient treatments were compared with recommended foliar spray of urea (1%), DAP (2%), KC1 (1%) at panicle initiation followed by 10 days after 1st spray. Blanket recommendation of 150: 50: 50 kg NPK/ha was applied as common to all the treatment plots. Chlorophyll content (2.42 mg/g), soluble protein (12.3 mg/g) and photosynthetic efficiency (0.035%) recorded maximum with foliar spray of 19: 19: 19 at booting stage @ 1% followed by 10 days after 1st spray when compared to other nutrient sources. Increased physiological parameters enhanced the yield attributes of rabi rice.