Interactive Effects of Rice Variety and Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth and Yield under Red and Lateritic Soils of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Background: Rice productivity in red and lateritic soils can be constrained by limited nutrient availability, making coordinated varietal selection and nutrient management important for improving crop performance. Aims: To evaluate the effects of rice varieties and integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and productivity of rice and to identify the most promising variety × nutrient-management combination under red and lateritic soils of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. Study Design: A split-plot design with three replications was used, with three rice varieties in the main plots and five nutrient-management treatments in the sub-plots. Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2025 at the Agricultural Experimental Farm of Midnapore City College, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. Methodology: IR-64, MTU-1010 and IR-36 were evaluated with five treatments: T₁, control; T₂, recommended dose of fertiliser (RDF: 80-40-40 kg N-P₂O₅-K₂O ha⁻¹); T₃, RDF + FYM @ 10 t ha⁻¹; T₄, RDF + vermicompost @ 5 t ha⁻¹; and T₅, RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha⁻¹ + vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha⁻¹. Growth, yield attributes and yield were recorded. Data were analysed using split-plot ANOVA, and means were compared using LSD at 5% probability. Results: Variety, nutrient management and their interaction significantly influenced growth and yield. IR-64 recorded the highest grain yield (5.66 t ha⁻¹), followed by IR-36 (5.46 t ha⁻¹) and MTU-1010 (4.66 t ha⁻¹). T₅ produced the highest grain yield (6.60 t ha⁻¹) compared with 2.40 t ha⁻¹ under the control. The highest grain yield was recorded under V₁T₅ (7.05 t ha⁻¹), whereas V₂T₁ recorded the lowest (2.10 t ha⁻¹). Conclusion: The integrated application of mineral fertiliser with FYM and vermicompost improved rice productivity under the experimental conditions. IR-64 with T₅ was the most promising combination and may be considered for similar red and lateritic soil conditions, subject to further multi-location and multi-season evaluation.