Influence of water resources on yield and yield components of rice in paddy fields

Water required for large areas of Mazandaran Province paddy fields is provided by Ab-bndans and agricultural wells. In recent years, excessive exploitation of groundwater to irrigate paddy fields has had harmful effects on the groundwater aquifers. In this research, the yield and yield components of Shirodi cultivar rice was compared in 8-rice field irrigated by Ab-bandan and agricultural well at Gatab region of Mazandaran Province, Iran. Required experiments were conducted in completely randomized design with 4- Ab-bandan treatments including Dunesar, Mirkola, Shirsavar, and Bengarkola and 4- well treatments namely well 1, well 2, well 3, and well 4 with three replications, during April- September, 2011. At the beginning of the crop season, soil samples were taken from each plot and a fertilization program was devised for Shirodi cultivar based on soil analysis in order to apply the same farming practice in all treatments. All treatments were under continuous flooding irrigation. At the harvest time, some morphologic and performance crop indices such as plant height, flag leaf length, main panicle length, number of tillers, straw yield, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index were determined. Water resources had not significant effect on plant height, flag leaf length and panicle length, but their effect on straw yield, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index was significant. Also, the highest grain yield and harvest index was equal to8496kg/ha and 57.32%, respectively, which were related to the Dunesar Ab-bandan.