Evolution of Alternative Filling Materials Replace to the Soil Media for Raising Nursery Seedlings in Fields of Chittoor District

This study was conducted to investigate on alternative tray filling materials to replace the soil media on crop growth, yield characteristics and yield attributes in The Mechanized System of Rice Intensification (MSRI). Focusing on the different alternative filling materials suitable to replace the soil media with 100% seed germination, Ten treatments with different combinations were experimented and a fine thin layer of well decomposed farm yard manure was spread over all ten treatments o bed filling material [(i.e., T₁-10% groundnut shell + 90 % soil; T₂-10% vermincompost+ 90% soil; T₃-10% rice husk+90% soil; T₄-25% vermin-compost+75% soil; T₅-25% rice straw + 75% soil; T₆-25% rice husk + 75% soil; T₇-10% rice straw+ 90% soil; T₈-25% groundnut shell +75% soil; T₉-Field soil (100%) (MT); T₁₀-Manual plantin (MP)]. The observation of transplanted hills was also noted in ischolar_main growth and leaf number, leaf area index and number of tillers and panicle number, panicle length and grain number per panicle, grain filling and 1000-grain weight and straw weight. The raising nursery with different bedding materials transplanted with machine significantly influenced grain yield per hectare. The results revealed that highest grain yield per hectare was observed with T₈ (25% GS) as 4858.5 kg/ha and followed by T₄ (25% VC) as 4685 kg/ha. However, the lowest grain yield was recorded at 2212.6 kg/ha was observed in T₆ (25% RH), due to lowest N, P, K contents in rice husk bed material. It is also observed from transplanted crop that ischolar_main length was highest with T₅ (25% RS) as 11.39 cm followed by T₃ (10% RH) as 11.16 cm, whereas lowest ischolar_main length 9.10 cm, ischolar_main spreading was highest with T₈ (25% GS) as 20.72 cm followed by T₁ (10% GS) as 19.46 cm, T₂ (10% VC) as 19.00, T₄ and 9 are comparable with each other and is 18.47 cm. whereas lowest ischolar_main spreading 13.08 cm was observed in T₁₀ (manual planting). Finally it has been concluded that there is significant effect of bedding materials on crop growth and yield parameters.