Performance of Non-Puddled Machine Transplanted Rice over Puddled Machine Transplanted Rice in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu

Manual transplanted rice is labor-intensive, requires a large amount of water, and makes soil poor. Keeping this in view, Non-puddled machine transplanted rice (NPMTR) as an alternative planting technique for puddled machine transplanted rice (PMTR) was tested at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai during Kharif seasons 2016 to 2020. The experimental data was analyzed using an independent two-sample t-test. The statistical analysis results indicated that NPMTR and PMTR rice planting techniques did not show any significant difference in rice grain yields and recorded 4.82 and 5.06 t/ha respectively. However, a significant (P < 0.00) higher water use efficiency (4.852 kg/ ha mm) was observed under NPMTR, saving approximately 21% water with a 4.97% yield penalty compared to PMTR. In addition, economic analysis results also indicated a higher benefit-cost ratio (B: C Ratio) of 2.29 under NPMTR than 2.09 in PMTR. NPMTR is cost-effective (less production cost ₹ 5880/ha), resource-saving (fuel 26 L/ ha, energy (1220 MJ/ ha), time (5.5 h/ ha) and water (250.4 mm/ ha), easy to practice and reliable rice transplanting method under fast-changing global climatic conditions.