EFFECT OF CROP ESTABLISHMENT METHODS AND WEED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON PROTEIN CONTENT, NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND YIELD OF RICE (Oryza sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted during two consecutive Kharif seasons of 2003 2004, to find out most suitable weed management practices for different crop establishment methods.Maximum loss of nutrients by weeds was recorded under zerotillage followed by dry seeding under moist condition while highest content of protein in grain and straw was recorded under transplanting. Highest grain yield (54.72q ha-1) was also recorded under transplanting which was at par with drum seeding (54.53 qha-1) during first year and significantly superior over other methods during second year. Chemical + 2 hand weeding produced significantly higher grain yield (61.04 q ha-1 60.88 qha-1) over other weed management practices during first and second year, respectively.