Effect of tillage and planting methods on soil physical properties, grain yield and milling recovery of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Hashemi)

To evaluate the effects of tillage and planting systems on soil physical properties, grain yied and its components, and milling recovery of rice (cv. Hashemi), an experiment was conducted at Rice Research Institute of Iran in 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons-using split plot arrangements in randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental factors were; tillage methods (main plots) at three levels (rotary tractor, power tiller conventional puddler and power tiller rotary puddler), planting methods (sub plots) in three levels (manual transplanting, mechanized transplanting and direct seeding). Results of combined analysis of variance showed that fall-cone penetration depth and bulk density were significantly affected by tillage methods. Maximum penetration depth of fall-cone (10.86 cm) and minimum bulk density (0.86 g.cm-3) were observed in tillage rotary tractor.Plant height (144.01 cm) and number of tillers per m-2 (344 tillers.m-2) in direct seeding were significantly higher than mechanized and manual transplanting methods. Maximum harvest index (49.29%) and pushing resistance (5.73 N) in mechanized transplanting was significantly diffirent in comparison to manual transplanting and direct seeding. Maximum number of panicles.m-2 obtained in direct seeding (288 panicles.m-2) followed by mechanized transplanting (284 panicles.m-2) which were significantly diffirent from panicle number per unit area in manual transplanting (261 panicles.m-2). Effect of tillage methods, planting methods and their interaction on head rice, broken rice and milling recovery were not significant. It can be concluded that power tiller puddler, mechanized transplanting and direct seeding may improve grain yield components with maintaining the the soil physical properties.