Impact of antitranspirant application on nutrient uptake and yield of rice (Oryza sativa) grown under water stress condition in inceptisol of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Antitranspirants are applied to plant foliage to curtail water loss. Antitranspirants, in general, reduce the transpiration loss of water occurring mainly through closing stomatal pores present on the leaf surface. Keeping these points in view, a pot experiment was conducted to find out the effect of application of leaf reflectance type antitranspirants, viz., kaolinite (kaolin) and long-chain fatty alcohol (Green Miracle) on yield and nutrient uptake of rice under both submerged and water stress condition grown in inceptisol in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The present investigation was carried out in a greenhouse and rice (HUR-105) was grown under both submerged and water stress conditions. The kaolin (0%, 4%, 6% and 8%) and Green Miracle (0.00%, 0.15%, 0.30% and 0.60%) water suspension / solution respectively, were sprayed twice viz. in during vegetative-stage (50 days after transplanting) and panicle initiation stage (70 days after transplanting). The N, P and K content in straw and grain were analyzed for nutrient uptake pattern by rice crop. Results indicated that antitranspirants treatments affected dry matter production significantly. Plants treated with Green Miracle and kaolin produced more dry matter than untreated check (control). The nutrient uptakes by rice crops were also significantly improved by the application of both Green Miracle and Kaolin.