EFFECT OF CHITOSAN RAW MATERIAL POWDER AND SEEDLING AGE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BORO RICE (BRRI dhan88)

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted under the net house of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, during November, 2019 to April, 2020 to investigate the effect of chitosan raw material powder and seedling age on the performance of BRRI dhan88. The experiment was consisted of two factors and following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Factor A: Level of chitosan raw material powder viz; C 0

= 0%, C 1

= 0.1%, C

= 0.3%, C 4

= 0.4% and C 5

= 0.5% and Factor B: Different seedling age viz; S

= 25 days old seedling, S 2

= 30 days old seedling and S

= 35 days old seedling. Experimental results revealed that among different levels of chitosan raw material powder, seedling treated with C 4

(0.4 %) treatment a n d S 3 (35 days old seedling) perform well and recorded the maximum average seedling height (20.45 cm), fresh weight per 100 seedling (44.6 g), oven dry weight per 100 seedling ( 17.2 g ), seedling strength ( 8.41 mgcm -1 ) , effective tillers hill -1 3 (22.75), minimum days for first flowering (74.5), minimum days for 50 % flowering (77.2), minimum days for 100 % flowering (79.25), maximum grain yield pot -1 2

= 0.2%, C (68.91g), maximum straw yield pot

(85.5 g), maximum biological yield pot -1 (153.45 g). Chitosan raw material powder also have some positive residual effect on pH, total nitrogen, organic carbon and organic matter. Chitosan raw material powder strongly improved the seedling characters at low temperature conditions, yield and yield attributing characters of BRRI dhan88. Thus, for cultivation of BRRI dhan88, it is suggested that optimum level (0.4%) of chitosan raw material powder could be applied in the seedbed soil along with transplanting young (35 days old) seedling perform well for obtaining higher grain yield.