Effects of Straw Mulching and Nitrogen Fertilization on the Growth of Direct Seeded Rice in No-tillage Rice / Vetch Cropping System

No-till direct seeding cultivation of rice has major advantages such as saving of labor and cost by eliminating tillage, preparation of seed bed and trans-planting procedure compared to the conventional transplanting cultivation. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of straw treatment and nitrogen levels on the rice growth in no-till direct-seeding cultivation. Rice straw, vetch straw, and the mixture of both of the straws were mulched on the surface of soil before seeding while 4 levels of nitrogen fertilizer, 0, 7, 9, and 11 kkg/10a respectively, were applied at 3 split times, 3-weeks after sowing, 5-weeks after sowing and the panicle initiation stage. Mulching of vetch straw significantly reduced seedling establishment of rice which may be attributed to low oxidation-reduction potential of soil by vetch mulching treatment. Vetch straw increased the concentration of soil ammonium leading to an extension of the greenish leaf to panicle initiation stage. Agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (AD $E_{N}$) in heavy-mixed straw mulching plots was lower than other treatments. Grain yield and AU $E_{N}$ in the vetch treatment were less affected by fertilized N levels. Conclusively, it is suggested that heavy straw mulching was not efficient for rice seedling establishment and nitrogen usage.e.