EFFECT OF MODIFIED CHITOSAN ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF RICE (BRRI dhan62)

A thesis submitted to the faculty of agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE (MS) IN SOIL SCIENCE SEMESTER: JULY-DECEMBER, 2015

An experiment was carried out at the research field of the Department of Soil science, of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 during the period from July to December 2015 to investigate the effect of modified chitosan on growth, yield contributing characters and yield of rice cv. BRRI dhan62. Single factor experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment comprised of five levels of modified chitosan and the treatments were T 1 (0.5 t/ha modified chitosan), T 2 (1.0 t/ha modified chitosan), T 3 (2.0 t/ha modified chitosan), T 4 (4.0 t/ha modified chitosan) and T 5 (without modified chitosan or control). Different doses of modified chitosan was applied and mixed in the soil before transplanting of rice seedlings. Soil application of modified chitosan was significant on all parameters studied except plant height, panicle length, total number of grains/panicle, filled grains/panicle, unfilled grains/panicle, but the grain number increased with the increasing doses of modified chitosan among the treatments compare to the control. The experimental results revealed that 4.0 t/ha modified chitosan (T 4 ) produced highest grain yield (6.15 t/ha), maximum number of tillers/hill (17.85), highest straw yield (6.80 t/ha), highest biological yield (12.95 t/ha), maximum 1000-grain weight (26.90), highest value of pH (6.23), highest organic carbon content (0.97%), and highest organic matter content (1.67%). And the lowest values of these parameters were observed in the control treatment having without modified chitosan application. From the results it is concluded that almost all of growth parameters, yield and yield contributing characters and chemical properties of soil were improved due to using modified chitosan in soils compared to the control. These results suggest that modified chitosan could be used to increase the rice grain yield with sustainable soil health.