Improvement of seedling establishment by seed coating with iron in early-winter direct-sowing rice

Abstract

Poor seedling establishment is a major problem for Early-Winter Direct-Sowing cultivation in rice. We examined the effects of seed coating with three materials (iron, calcium peroxide, starch) on the seedling establishment. The seedling establishment rate was only 1~3% in the control without seed coating in both 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons in Iwate Prefecture. Only the coating with iron showed a significant increase in the seedling establishment rate, that is, 24% in the 2016/2017 season and 11~30% in the 2017/2018 season. Significant improvement of seedling establishment by seed coating with iron was confirmed similarly in additional four Prefectures (Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita and Mie) in 2017/2018 season. We concluded that the seed coating with iron is a promising methodology for improving seedling establishment for Early-Winter Direct-Sowing cultivation in rice.