Effect of Zinc Oxide nano Particles on Zinc Use Efficiency, Growth and Yield of Basmati Rice

Abstract

Rice is part of the staple diet for more than 3.5 billion people and an important sector of the agri-food industry, providing food and livelihood for more than half of the world's population. Nanoparticles have higher surface area and very less size they have high reactivity with other compound. Nano fertilizers are advantageous over conventional fertilizers as they increase soil fertility, yield and quality parameters of the crop, they are nontoxic and less harmful to environment and humans, they minimize cost and maximize profit. A field experiment was conducted during 2019-20 and 2020-21 at Crop Research Center, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.) to evaluate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on zinc use efficiency, growth and yield of basmati rice. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. The experiment comprised of nine treatment combinations viz.; T1 Control (No NPK), T2 (100 % NPK), T3 (T2 + ZnSO4 soil application @25 Kg ha-1), T4 (T2 + Root dipping @100 ppm ZnO-NPs), T5 (T4 + ZnO-NPs spray at PI (35 DAT) stage @ 100 ppm), T6 (T5 + additional ZnO-NPs spray at flowering stage @ 100 ppm), T7 (75 % NPK + Root dipping @100 ppm ZnO-NPs), T8 (T7 + ZnO-NPs spray at PI (35 DAT) stage @ 100 ppm), T9 (T8 + additional ZnO-NPs spray at flowering stage @ 100 ppm). The rice cultivar (Pusa Basmati-1509) was sown with a seed rate of 20 kg ha-1. The recommended dose of N, P2O5 and K2O is 120, 60 and 60 kg ha-1 respectively was applied as split dose of N, the full dose of P, K at the time of sowing. ZnO-NPs applied as per the treatment details, before transplanting of rice. All the growth, yield attributes, yield, nutrient content and uptake, nutrients use efficiency, soil fertility level and economic feasibility were assessed during experiments. Soil was sandy loam in texture with pH 7.84. Available N, P and K were 212.60, 13.40 and 228.68 kg ha-1, respectively. The findings of experiment revealed that the growth attributes like plant height, number of tillers per m2, chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation and yield attributes i.e., effective tillers m-2, panicle length, no. of grain per panicle, test weight and yield of grain and straw was maximum with application of (T6) 100% NPK + ZnO-NPs Root dipping + ZnO-NPs spray at PI and flowering stage followed by (T5) 100% NPK + ZnO-NPs Root dipping + ZnO-NPs spray at PI stage. Application of zinc over recommended NPK improved grain quality parameters, nutrient uptake and content. The highest net return obtained with T6 (100% NPK + ZnO-NPs Root dipping + ZnO-NPs spray at PI and flowering stage). Zinc use efficiency was significantly higher in all those treatments where zinc nano particle was supplemented through root dipping or foliar application than T3 where conventional source of zinc was applied through soil application. Thus, it can be concluded that root dipping and foliar application of ZnO-NPs have the potential to correct the deficiency as well yield and quality of basmati rice.