Vol. 11, Issue 9 (2022)

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif season in 2021-2022 at the Research farm, Department of Agronomy, AKS University, Satna (M.P.), to evaluate the effect of zinc and KSB levels on growth, yield and quality of paddy (Oryza sativa L.). The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design comprising four zinc levels viz. 00 kg Zn₁ ha^-1, 10 kg Zn₂ ha^-1, 15 kg Zn₃ ha^-1, 20 kg Zn₄ ha^-1 and three KSB levels, 5 ml/kg K₁, 10 ml/kg K₂, 15 ml/kg K₃ and treatments were replicated thrice. Results revealed that different levels of zinc affected the growth parameters as well as yield attributes and yield of paddy. Incorporation of 20 kg Zn1 ha-1 recorded maximum plant height at 90 DAS (98.95 cm), number of effective tillers plant (70.86), length of panicles (18.86 cm), grain yield (36.62 q ha^-1), straw yield (68.94 q ha^-1), Dry weight (9.81 g), and protein content (12.03%), however, number of leaves plant-1 at 90 DAS (34.57) and harvest index (34.60%) were higher with incorporation of 15 kg Zn ha^-1. Among different KSB levels, maximum number of effective tillers (52.54), number of leaves per plant at 90 DAS (29.79 cm), grain yield (28.656q ha^-1), dry weight (8.18. g), harvest index (32.64%), and protein content (10.69%) were observed when crop was sown on 26 July.