EFFECT OF CROSS-PLOWING, LINE-SOWING AND WEEDING OPERATIONS ON PERFORMANCE OF RICE (ORYZA-SATIVA) VARIETIES UNDER RAIN-FED LOWLAND SITUATION

A field experiment was conducted during the wet season (June-December) of 1991 and 1992 at Cuttack to assess the efficiency of traditional s ystem of cross-ploughing (beushan) and line-sowing in direct-seeded ri ce (Oryza saliva L.) under hand-weeded and unweeded (weedy control) co nditions. These long-duration photo-sensitive rice varieties of differ ent quality were studied, viz 'T 141' (local and fine), 'Moti' (medium statured, high-yielding and fine) and 'Padmini' (tall, high-yielding and super-fine). Cross-ploughing was found significantly superior to n o-cross-ploughing (no beushan) in terms of grain yield and weed contro l and gave 38% higher yield with 'Moti' rice. But 'Padmini' did not gi ve any extra yield, rather it gave 12% less yield. Line-sown crop alon e with 2 hand-weedings gave 22% higher grain yield than cross-ploughin g. Several weeds (wild rices) were observed in the rainfed lowland ric e ecosystem, which could be eliminated through line-sowing method.