Water scarcity poses a serious challenge to traditional rice cultivation. Although aerobic rice systems integrated with drip fertigation can reduce irrigation water use by nearly 40%, inadequate synchronization of nutrient supply with crop demand frequently constrains productivity. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplemental nutrition on rice varieties under drip fertigation. The study was laid out in a split plot design with twelve treatment combinations replicated thrice, comprising two rice varieties CO 54 and ADT 53 as the main factor and foliar application of macro and micronutrients as the sub factor. The results indicated that the variety CO 54 coupled with application of RDF of NP and K through drip fertigation along with foliar application of 1 per cent Urea + 2 per cent DAP + 1 per cent KCl at panicle initiation and 10 days later obtained higher DMP under aerobic conditions. Long-term multi-location trials are needed to validate the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and scalability of integrated drip fertigation and targeted foliar nutrition strategies across diverse agro-climatic conditions. Such integrated approaches will be critical for developing climate-resilient, water-efficient, and nutritionally optimized rice production systems.

Published: 2026-03-01 | DOI: N/A