EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PLANTING SYSTEMS ON SOME PRODUCTIVE AND QUALITY TRAITS OF RICE

The traditional planting system of rice in the Republic of Macedonia is wet direct seeding (hand broadcasting of seeds into pre-standing water in the fields). In this paper, the effects of different planting methods of rice (wet seeding as well as dry seeding by using seed drills) on productivity and quality of rice are presented. Field trials were set up at the Experimental Station of the Institute of Agriculture – Skopje, locality Mishjak, Kocani region, with two varieties (San Andrea and Onice) included. The following planting systems were explored: 1. wet direct seeding, with seeding rate of 250 kg seeds per ha (control); 2. dry seeding, 150 kg seeds per ha; 3. dry seeding, 200 kg seeds per ha. During the harvesting, the number of tillers per m2, biological yield, paddy rice yield, head rice yield and white rice yield were analyzed. The highest number of tillers per m2 (San Andrea 383.00 and Onice 731.33) and the highest average paddy yield (San Andrea 11,780.00 kg ha-1 and Onice 10,113.33 kg ha-1) were achieved in the control. The highest biological yield in Onice (21,493.33 kg ha-1) was found in the control, while in San Andrea (20,650.00 kg ha-1) in the treatment dry seeding, 150 kg seeds per ha. For the head rice yield, the highest percentage was determined in the control (San Andrea, 54.57%) and in the treatment dry seeding, 150 kg seeds per ha (Onice, 66.72 %). Both varieties (San Andrea with 6,428.35 kg ha-1 and Onice with 6,143.83 kg ha-1) reached the highest white rice yield in the control. In general, in the treatment dry seeding with 200 kg seeds per ha, the higher values of number of tillers per m2, paddy yield and white rice yield were assessed, compared to the treatment dry seeding with 150 kg seeds per ha, in both varieties