Two field experiments were conducted at the experimental farm of the
Institute Efficient Productivity, Zagazig University, located at Ghazala village,
Sharkia Governorate. The aim of the study was to know effect of nitrogen
fertilization levels and its splits on growth and yield of three rice cultivars. The
experiments were conducted during 2005 and 2006 summer growing seasons.
The tested cultivars were Giza 178, Sakha 103 and Sakha 104. Two nitrogen
fertilizer levels 40 and 60 kg were split and applied at two, three and four equal
doses.
The most important results were: the rice cultivars differed in their
growth, grain yield, yield components and quality characters. Where, Sakha 103
was the superior in most characters and Sakha 104 in the second order.
Increasing nitrogen fertilization levels from 40 to 60 kg N/fad increased
the most yield components which led to significant increase in grain yield/fad.
Meantime, rice grain quality was improved significantly with increasing
nitrogen fertilizer level.
Increasing of N splitting caused significant increases in growth, yield and
yield components. Since four splits was the superior and three splits came in the
second rank but two splits treatment was the latter in most characters. Rice
grain quality was not affected by nitrogen fertilizer splitting.
Interaction effect between nitrogen fertilizer levels and its splitting was
significant on number of unfilled grains/panicle, number of filled grains/panicle
and grain yield/fad.