Effect of Dairy Manure and Rice Planting Methods on Yield, Soil Quality, Water-Use Efficiency, and Economics of Rice and Succeeding Wheat Crop

Presently, directly seeded rice (DSR) is preferred over transplanted puddle rice (TPR) because of its high water-use efficiency (WUE). Also, TPR deteriorates the soil physicochemical properties, so in these conditions dairy manure has been used to reduce bulk density, increase hydraulic conductivity, and improve soil nutrient status. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of manure and rice planting methods on yield, soil quality, WUE, and economics of rice and the succeeding wheat crop. Results showed that TPR increased kernel yield by 10.26% compared to DSR. However, it deteriorated soil physical properties and reduced soil nitrogen by 7.31% at 0–15 cm deep and nitrate concentration by 61.40% at 0–35 cm deep, which significantly reduced succeeding wheat yield by 18.21%. The residual soil organic fertility after crop harvest was proportional to the level of dairy manure used.