Response of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) to Silica Fertilization and Spraying with Nano-Potassium and Calcium

Abstract

Abstract In order to assess the response of rice (cv. Anber 33) to silica fertilization and spraying with nano-potassium and calcium in some indicators of growth and yield of the plant, a field study was conducted in Al-Talea’a Township (district of 41-Al-Husseiniyah, south of Hilla City) / Babylon Governorate / Iraq for the period from 15/6/2020 until 19/11/2020. The experiment was carried out according to the split-plot design, and the parameters were distributed according to the arrangement of Randomized Complete Blocks Design (RCBD), where the levels of silica fertilizer were the main plot and the concentrations of the nano fertilizers were the subplot. The number of treatments became 16 treatment, with three replications per treatment. The first factor represented by silica fertilizer consisted of four levels: 0, 100, 200 and 300 kg ha−1, while the second factor represented by spraying nano fertilizers consisted of four treatments: control, nano-K, nano-Ca, nano-(K + Ca). Results showed that fertilizing by silica at a level of 300 kg ha−1 recorded the highest means of chlorophyll content (39.59 SPAD), plant height (143.67 cm), weight of 1000 grains (21.04 g), grains yield (5.76 Mg ha−1), and harvest index (30.96 %). Also, the spraying by nano (K + Ca) achieved the highest means of chlorophyll content (39.71 SPAD), plant height (142.84 cm), weight of 1000 grains (20.92 g), grains yield (5.52 Mg ha−1), biological yield (99.18 Mg ha−1), and harvest index (29.04 %). The interaction between fertilization with silica and spraying by nano (K + Ca) achieved the highest means of growth and yield indicators for rice plants when treated with silica (300 kg ha−1) and spraying by nano (K + Ca), it’s reached the chlorophyll content (41.17 SPAD) and plant height (146.60 cm), weight of 1000 grains (21.40 g), grain yield (6.14 Mg ha−1), biological yield (19.20 Mg ha−1), and harvest index (32.00%) against the lowest means of growth and yield indicators recorded in control plants, it’s reached the chlorophyll content (36.87 SPAD), plant height (133.19 cm), weight of 1000 grains (19.70 g), grains yield (4.25 Mg ha−1), biological yield (16.87 Mg ha−1) and harvest index (25.19%).