Abstract:
A pot experiment in an open area was conducted in 2015 yala season at the Regional Rice Research Institute, Am balanthota, Sri Lanka to determine the effect of foliar application of nano calcite on yield, yield component and
quality of rice (Oryza sataiva) variety, At 362. Treatments tested were 4 levels of nano calcite (40, 80, 120 and 160
ppm) and plant growth were estimated 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting and grain yield at harvesting. The
experiment followed the Randomized Complete Block Design with 3 replications. It was found that the application
of nano calcite foliar fertilizer has significantly contributed to enhance growth, yield, seed quality and insect re sistance in At 362. Plants treated with 120 ppm nano calcite had highest yield with highest performances of
growth and seed quality attributes. The dates required for the 50% flowering was reduced by 6 days and yield
was increased by 25% with the application of 120 ppm nano calcite compared to the untreated plants. The plants
treated with 160 ppm foliar nano calcite recorded significantly low gall midge damage, leaf mites, stem borer
damage and paddy bugs as compared to untreated control and treated with lower doses (40 and 80 ppm). While
the data of this study showed that nano calcite has positive effects on rice growth, yield and induced resistance to
insect pests, further research would be needed to validate the observations.
