Effect of foliage cutting on growth and yield of different rice cultivars under semi-deepwater conditions (0–80 cm)

SUMMARYIn 1990 and 1991, four rice cultivars – Utkalprabha, Panidhan, CN573–321–7–1 and Jaladhi–1 were sown in dry soil at the end of May and grown thereafter under semi-deepwater conditions (0–80 cm) at Cuttack, India. These crops were subjected to foliage cutting at the collar of the uppermost leaf on 1 September and/or on 1 October. The amount of foliage cut was greater in 1990 than in 1991 due to a relatively slower rise in water level in the initial stages of the experiments, which resulted in a more vigorous growth of the plants. The tall, rapidly elongating and floating deepwater cultivar Jaladhi–1 yielded the most foliage, followed by the relatively shorter cultivars CN573–321–7–1, Panidhan and Utkalprabha. However, the grain yield of CN573–321–7–1 was greatest and the effect of foliage cutting was least pronounced; whereas Jaladhi–1 gave the lowest grain yield which further decreased significantly when foliage was removed. Cutting in September had no effect on the yield of CN573–321–7–1, Panidhan and Utkalprabha, but the later cut in October had a detrimental effect, particularly when cutting was done a second time. Nevertheless, a single late cutting in October was not found to be harmful to the yield of the tall cultivar CN573–321–7–1 and the long-duration semitall Panidhan. Decrease in grain yield with two cuts of foliage was due to a reduction in the weight and number of grains/panicle as panicles/m2 and 1000-grain weight remained unaffected. The results suggest that foliage could be harvested for feeding cattle from the long-duration, tall and photosensitive rice cultivars without any adverse effect on grain yield under semi-deep lowland conditions.