Agronomic Characters and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics Influenced by Barley Straw Mulch Rates in No-Tillage Direct Seeding Rice Culture

In rice-barley cropping systems, efficient utilization of barley straw is essential, both to improve the soil fertility and to conserve the environment. In order to identify the effects of barley straw mulch rates in rice cultivation, a rice cultivar, 'Gancheogbyeo', was directly seeded on a no-tillage field synchronized with barley harvesting with five barley straw mulch rates, i.e., 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 ton h $a^{-1}$ and agronomic characters of rice and soil nitrogen were determined. The increasing of barley straw mulch rates. Dominant weed species, chestnut, occurred in large amounts in no mulching or lower mulch rates than in higher mulch rates. The content of N $H_4$$_{＋}$-N in soil applied with high barley straw mulch rates was lower during the month after seeding, and then it was higher at heading date, compared with lower mulch rates or no mulch plot. As the barley straw rate increased, maximum tillering stage was delayed, and plant height was reduced. Although the lodging of rice plants was seldom observed in all plots, the breaking strength of the culm was significantly higher in the mulch rate of 10.0 ton h $a^{-1}$ . With an increase of barley straw mulch rate, the effective tillering rate and spikelet number $m^{-2}$ decreased while ripened grain ratio increased. The rice grain yield was slightly decreased with an increase of barley straw mulch rate, although significant differences were not found all barley straw mulch rates. These results suggest that there is no significant yield loss although the total barley straw production, approximately 5.0 ton h $a^{-l}$ in the present study, apply in the paddy for the following rice cultivation by no-tillage direct seeding.ect seeding.