Foliar application of magnesium at critical stages improved the productivity of rice crop grown under different cultivation systems

Abstract

Climatic variations have created many challenges for farmers, but the most important one is the change in the dynamics of nutrient uptake by plants. Nutrients that were sufficient in soil are now found deficient, an issue that needs more focus in order to sustain crop productivity. Magnesium is very important plant nutrient that has a direct role in chlorophyll synthesis and interacts with other nutrients to manage physiological mechanisms. We designed field experiments focusing on the foliar application of magnesium at different growth and reproductive stages of a rice crop. Results reveal that the combination of rice cultivation system and magnesium application, i.e., flooded rice with Mg application at seedling + tillering + panicle initiation (F6T2), significantly improved crop growth and exhibited noticeable results in crop yield and grain quality. Moreover, the rice crop also recorded the highest benefit cost ratio (BCR) when kept flooded and fertilized with Mg at three stages; viz seedling, tillering, and panicle initiation; during both the years. Combined application of magnesium at growth and reproductive stages improved crop performance both in aerobic as well as in flooded rice, but the crop grown under flooded condition showed accelerated performance in both cropping seasons, which reflects its viability and economic feasibility.