Effects of transplanting dates and varietal selection on growth parameters of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A field study was conducted at the experimental farm Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Wadura Sopore to evaluate the influence of different transplanting dates and rice varieties on various growth parameters. Three transplanting dates (7th June, 14th June, and 21st June) and four rice varieties (Jehlum, SR-1, SR-2, and SR-3) were tested in a factorial design. Results indicated that transplanting dates and varieties significantly affected plant height, tiller production, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, relative growth rate, and leaf number per culm at different growth stages. Early transplanting (7th June) resulted in taller plants (128.09 cm) at maturity compared to late transplanting (118.86 cm). Variety SR-2 recorded the highest plant height (133.73 cm), dry matter accumulation (130.88 q ha⁻¹), and leaf area index (5.36) at 60 DAT. Tiller production peaked at 60 DAT across all treatments, with SR-3 producing the highest number of tillers (468.77 m⁻²). Maximum leaf area index of 5.02 was achieved with 7th June transplanting at 60 DAT. Early transplanting generally favored growth parameters during later developmental stages, while variety SR-2 consistently performed better across most parameters.

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Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereal crops globally, serving as a staple food for more than half of the world's population and contributing significantly to food security in developing countries. With the global population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, there is an urgent need to enhance rice productivity to meet the increasing food demand. Rice cultivation covers approximately 165 million hectares worldwide, with Asia accounting for about 90% of global production and consumption. The success of rice cultivation largely depends on appropriate crop management practices, among which transplanting time and variety selection are critical factors that significantly influence plant growth, development, and ultimately yield. The timing of transplanting affects various physiological processes including germination, vegetative growth, reproductive development, and grain filling, while varietal selection determines the genetic potential and adaptability of the crop to specific environmental conditions. Transplanting date is a crucial agronomic decision that affects the entire growth cycle of rice. The optimal transplanting time ensures that the crop experiences favorable environmental conditions during critical growth phases such as tillering, panicle initiation, flowering, and grain filling. Early transplanting may expose the crop to unfavorable temperature conditions during early growth stages, while delayed transplanting can result in exposure to adverse weather conditions during the reproductive phase, potentially reducing yield and quality. The relationship between transplanting date and environmental factors such as temperature, photoperiod, solar radiation, and rainfall distribution plays a pivotal role in determining crop performance. Temperature is particularly important as it influences enzyme activity, metabolic processes, and developmental rates. Photoperiod sensitivity in rice varieties affects the timing of flowering and grain filling, making the synchronization of transplanting date with favorable photoperiodic conditions essential for optimal growth.

Growth parameters measured at 20-day intervals included:

 Plant height (cm) using meter scale from soil surface to leaf apex during vegetative stage and panicle tip after emergence  Tiller number per m² through direct counting  Leaf area index (LAI) calculated as total leaf area per unit ground area  Dry matter accumulation (q ha⁻¹) through destructive sampling, sun-drying, and oven-drying at 60-70°C to constant weight  Relative growth rate (RGR) using formula: RGR = (loge W₂ -loge W₁)/(T₂ -T₁)  Number of leaves per culm through direct counting Data were subjected to analysis of variance using OPSTAT software package, and treatment means were compared using least significant difference (LSD) test at 5% probability level.

Results

Results

Plant Height

Plant height increased consistently up to 100 DAT across all treatments, with marginal increases thereafter. At 20 DAT, transplanting dates showed no significant effect on plant height (23.63-24.77 cm). However, from 40 DAT onward, 7th June transplanting resulted in significantly taller plants (128.09 cm at maturity) compared to 21st June transplanting (118.86 cm), while remaining statistically similar to 14th June transplanting (122.99 cm).

Dry Matter Accumulation

Dry matter production showed significant variation among treatments. Up to 60 DAT, 21st June transplanting accumulated significantly higher dry matter (53.25 q ha⁻¹). However, from 80 DAT to maturity, 7th June transplanting showed superior dry matter accumulation, reaching 130.41 q ha⁻¹ at maturity. Among varieties, SR-2 demonstrated the highest dry matter accumulation capacity, achieving 130.88 q ha⁻¹ at maturity, followed by SR-3 (125.33 q ha⁻¹), SR-1 (120.44 q ha⁻¹), and Jehlum (119.44 q ha⁻¹).

Relative Growth Rate

Relative growth rate varied significantly during early growth periods. At 20-40 DAT, 21st June transplanting recorded higher RGR (0.130 g g⁻¹ day⁻¹), while from 40-60 DAT onward, 7th June transplanting maintained higher values (0.068 g g⁻¹ day⁻¹).

Conclusions

The study demonstrates that both transplanting dates and variety selection significantly influence rice growth parameters. Early transplanting (7th June) generally favored growth characteristics during later developmental stages, particularly for tiller retention, leaf area maintenance, and dry matter accumulation. Among varieties, SR-2 consistently performed better across most growth parameters, while SR-3 showed superior tillering capacity. These findings suggest that for optimal growth performance, early transplanting combined with appropriate variety selection (SR-2 for overall growth, SR-3 for high tillering) would be most beneficial. The interaction between transplanting time and variety characteristics highlights the importance of integrated crop management approaches for maximizing rice production potential.

Figures and tables from the paper

Treatments	20 DAT	40 DAT	60 DAT	80 DAT	100 DAT	Maturity
Transplanting Dates
7th June	23.63	71.72	94.70	120.20	126.66	128.09
14th June	23.70	77.97	98.61	114.17	120.24	122.99
21st June	24.77	78.47	104.92	111.05	117.75	118.86
SE (m)	0.42	1.36	1.77	2.05	2.16	2.26
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	4.01	5.21	6.04	6.35	6.47
Varieties
Jehlum	24.27	75.13	95.94	114.10	118.18	119.92
SR-1	24.44	73.01	95.54	111.80	116.19	118.53
SR-2	23.29	81.63	107.83	123.84	131.28	133.73
SR-3	24.14	75.82	98.34	115.82	119.58	121.08
SE(m)	0.49	1.57	2.01	2.37	2.49	2.60
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	4.63	5.92	7.12	7.33	7.48

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Plant height (cm) of rice as influenced by dates of

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Treatments	20 DAT	40 DAT	60 DAT	80 DAT	100 DAT	Maturity
Transplanting Dates
7th June	164.50	265.25	478.83	396.16	365.75	349.00
14th June	165.41	275.91	451.83	365.25	340.83	318.83
21st June	170.53	281.08	418.83	345.91	323.08	291.75
SE (m)	1.92	3.52	5.66	4.17	4.39	4.13
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	10.33	16.63	12.24	12.88	12.11
Varieties
Jehlum	167.66	278.00	451.33	370.77	349.00	323.22
SR-1	162.44	271.22	445.33	370.66	345.00	319.22
SR-2	156.44	262.55	422.88	352.22	329.11	300.66
SR-3	174.33	284.55	468.77	382.77	352.44	336.11
SE(m)	2.22	4.06	6.54	4.82	5.07	4.77
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	6.52	11.93	19.28	14.14	14.17	13.99

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Tiller number of rice as influenced by dates of

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Treatments	20-40 DAT	40-60 DAT	60-80 DAT	80-100 DAT	100- Maturity
Transplanting Dates
7th June	0.122	0.068	0.031	0.018	0.00161
14th June	0.127	0.064	0.026	0.018	0.00159
21st June	0.130	0.065	0.021	0.017	0.00151
SE (m)	0.0009	0.001	0.0001	0.0001	0.00015
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	0.0026	0.003	N.S	N.S	N.S
Varieties
Jehlum	0.122	0.067	0.025	0.019	0.0017
SR-1	0.127	0.064	0.026	0.017	0.0016
SR-2	0.125	0.066	0.026	0.017	0.0016
SR-3	0.130	0.064	0.026	0.017	0.0013
SE(m)	0.0009	0.0001	0.0001	0.0001	0.00017
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	0.0030	N.S	N.S	N.S	N.S

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Relative Growth Rate (RGR) g g⁻¹ day⁻¹ of rice as

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Treatments	20 DAT	40 DAT	60 DAT	80 DAT	100 DAT	Maturity
Transplanting Dates
7th June	0.17	2.17	5.02	4.65	3.87	2.53
14th June	0.18	2.34	4.77	4.46	3.47	2.32
21st June	0.20	2.44	4.62	4.15	3.22	2.24
SE (m)	0.018	0.04	0.08	0.08	0.06	0.04
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	0.12	0.25	0.24	0.18	0.13
Varieties
Jehlum	0.17	2.19	4.62	4.41	3.33	2.32
SR-1	0.18	2.13	4.47	3.99	3.20	1.96
SR-2	0.20	2.64	5.36	5.19	3.98	2.90
SR-3	0.17	2.24	4.75	4.57	3.46	2.51
SE(m)	0.021	0.04	0.09	0.09	0.07	0.05
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	0.13	0.29	0.27	0.21	0.15

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Leaf area index of rice as influenced by dates of

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Treatments	20 DAT	40 DAT	60 DAT	80 DAT	100 DAT	Maturity
Transplanting Dates
7th June	2.00	12.50	48.41	89.66	128.41	130.41
14th June	2.03	14.00	50.08	84.66	119.58	123.08
21st June	2.08	14.58	53.25	80.58	113.25	114.33
SE (m)	0.048	0.21	0.60	1.52	2.17	2.16
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	0.62	1.78	4.47	6.36	6.34
Varieties
Jehlum	2.00	12.55	43.55	80.77	114.77	119.44
SR-1	2.10	13.33	48.55	84.00	118.77	120.44
SR-2	2.50	14.88	50.66	89.55	127.22	130.88
SR-3	2.30	14.00	49.55	85.55	120.88	125.33
SE(m)	0.55	0.24	0.70	1.76	2.50	2.49
CD (p ≤ 0.05)	N.S	0.72	2.06	5.17	7.35	7.47

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Dry matter production (q ha⁻¹) of rice as influenced by

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