GROWTH AND YIELD PERFORMANCE OF RICE (Oryza sativa var. Nerica)

ABSTRACT

Rice (oryza sativa) is an annual plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and a major staple food in the world. It is the second largest commodity produced worldwide .There is an extreme need for higher rice yield to meet the ever increasing demand with the rice in population. Due to the labour intensive nature of rice farming and the need for a lot of water. It is best suited for places with cheap labour costs and high rainfall. The utilization of water controlling terrace systems, however it allows rice to be produced almost anywhere, including on a steep hill or mountain environment. Nanoparticles play important role in food security as an alternative to conventional fertilizers. Therefore the present research was carried out to determine the growth performance of rice as well as its yield performance after exposing the rice plant to biosynthesized copper nanoparticles. Copper nanoparticles treatment were applied as a foliar spray at concentrations of 5%,25% and 50% respectively after which a booster dose of these treatments were applied after two weeks. The biosynthesized copper nanoparticles were applied during the growth stage of the plant. The rice plants were watered daily to aid easy germination and avoid drought stress on the rice growth and development. A complete Randomized block design was employed in this study. The yield parameters were recorded at the harvesting stage while the growth parameters were recorded from the germination stage. Growth parameters such as plant height, leaf length, number of leaves, necrosis, internodes, chlorosis, stem girth, sheath length, number of tillers, and leaf width were recorded during of the course of experiment. The study reviewed that there will need for the application of Copper nanoparticles in the production of rice as it enhanced large yield and growth; increasing the availability of rice to meet consumption demand, if more rice farmers apply the use of Copper nanoparticles this will help to reduce the cost of rice in the market, due to the high availability of rice.