Two field experiments were conducted in EI-Serw Agricultural
Research Station, Damiatta Governorate during 2000 and 2001 seasons to study the
effect of farmyard manure rates (0 and 20 m³/fad), hill spaces (20 x 15, 20 x 20 and
20 x 25 ern) and four mineral nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg N/fad) with
or without blue green algae (BGA) and their combinations on growth, yield and quality
of rice "cv. Giza 178". The main results could be summarized as follows: The obtained results showed that the adding of 20 m³/fad of farmyard
manure significantly increased flag leaf area, plant height, number of panicles /m:,
panicle length, number of filled grains/panicle, grains weight / panicle, 1000-grain
weight, straw and grain yields/fad in both seasons, also P and K percentages of rice
grains were significantly affected by farmyard manure in the first and second seasons.
respectively, while protein percentage was not significantly affected in both seasons. Results revealed that all estimated characters were significantly affected by
the hill spaces in both seasons except K and protein percentages which were not
significantly affected in the first season. Results indicated that bio and mineral nitrogen treatments had significant effects on all studied characters in both seasons. The combination between biofertilizer (BGA) and 40 kg N/fad treatment gave the highest grain yield in both seasons. Increasing N-fertilizer rate up to 60 kg N/fad + BGA significantly increased P. K and protein percentages of rice grains in both seasons. The interaction between the studied treatments showed that the highest grain yield of rice was obtained with application of 20 m³/fad farmyard manure and 20 x 15 cm hill spaces. The maximum number of paniclesl m² and grain yield were observed in the rice plants fertilized by 20 m3/_fad farmyard manure and 20 kg Nifad with BGA inoculation treatment in both seasons. Maximum grain yield/fad was obtained when rice plants were transplanted at 20 x 15 cm and fertilized with 40 kg N/fad + BGA (biofertilization). The highest grain yield was taken from the treatment of 20 m³/fad farmyard manure, 20 x 15 cm hill space and 20 kg N/fad + BGA in 2000     Generally, it could be concluded that hill space 20 x 15 cm with the application of 20 m³/fad farmyard manure and 20 kg N/fad + BGA produced the highest grain yield/fad for Giza 178 rice variety under the conditions of EI-Serw district.