Ann. Agric. Res. New Series Vol. 44 (2) : 141-147 (2023) Performance, nutrient uptake and economics of rainfed rice varieties under different crop establishment techniques Ajay Kumar Paswan 1 , Navnit Kumar 2 * and Sumit Sow 3 Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar 848 125 *Corresponding Author Email: navnit.sri@rpcau.ac.in Received: December, 2022; Revised Accepted: April, 2023 ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), during kharif 2017. The treatments consisted of three establishment methods (direct seeding of rice, puddled transplanting, unpuddled transplanting) and six varieties (Sahbhagi Dhan, Abhishek, Sabour Ardhjal, DRR-42, Swarna Shreya, and Rajendra Nilam). Results showed that maximum number of panicles (231.2/m 2 ), panicle length (28.1 cm), and number of grains per panicle (104.0) were achieved with puddled transplanting. Puddled transplanting showed 8.7% and 9.3% higher grain yields over unpuddled transplanting and direct seeding of rice, respectively. Sahbhagi Dhan recorded the highest number of panicles (230.5/m 2 ), panicle length (28.8 cm), and number of grains per panicle (104.5). Sahbhagi Dhan recorded significantly higher grain yield (41.5 q/ha) as compared to Abhishek (39.0 q/ha), DRR 42 (37.0 q/ha), and Rajendra Nilam (36.3 q/ha). Sabour Ardhjal, on the other hand, produced significantly higher straw yield (66.2 q/ha) than the others. Puddled transplanting registered significantly higher gross returns of `76170/ha with a B:C ratio of 1.22. Sahbhagi Dhan registered the highest net returns and B:C ratio, followed by Sabour Ardhjal. So, puddled transplantation of Sahbhagi Dhan proved beneficial for higher yield and profitability under rainfed conditions. Key words: Puddled transplanting, profitability, rice, sahbhagi Dhan, yield One of the main abiotic stress factors limiting rice productivity and yield stability is drought (Lanceras et al., 2004). Improved rice varieties with higher yield, better quality, and market value and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress can increase rice farm productivity (drought, flood, extreme temperature, disease, and pest). Changing to crop varieties that are resistant to climate stress is one of the most frequently mentioned adaptation tech- niques for farm and non-farm life adaptation strat- egies (Dar et al., 2017). In all rice-growing countries, there is an acute shortage of human labour during the transplant- ing period, and in many cases, this delays the transplanting, leading to reduced yield and lower profit (Singh et al., 2013). Agronomic manipula- tion, viz., planting geometry, may be advanta- geous for achieving the potential yield of rice va- rieties; however, the optimum planting geometry differed for rice varieties depending on their growth, duration, and plant structure (Huang et al., 2018). Hence, determination of a suitable establish- ment method for harnessing the potential yield of different rice varieties needs critical investiga- tion. Varieties play a unique role in the maximi- zation of yield by improving input use efficiency. Thus, the selection of a suitable variety is of prime importance as the genetic potential of a variety 1 M.Sc. Student, 2 Assistant Professor- cum-Scientist, Department of Agronomy, Sugarcane Research Institute, 3 Research Scholar Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Samastipur, Pusa-848 125, Bihar