Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(4): 734-738 734 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.604.090 Evaluation of Rice Varieties for Yield under Organic Farming in Tarai Region of Uttarakhand, India D.K. Singh*, Shilpi Gupta, Gangadhar Nanda, Yogesh Sharma, V.V. Singh and Dipti Bisarya Department of Agronomy, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand- 263 145, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Organic farming is gaining momentum during recent times due to awareness of people towards environment and food safety. Organic agriculture comes across as a promising opportunity for farmers of Uttarakhand, especially the tribals, small and marginal farmers in the rainfed region or regions where traditional low input farming is practiced (Singh et al., 2017b). Rice is the staple food crop of world after wheat and the demand of organic rice is increasing due to its export potential. Basmati rice is regarded as the king of rice and is cultivated for its subtle aroma, long grain and delicious taste. It is priced high owing to better organoleptic quality characteristics but its demand is very high in other countries (Singh et al., 2017a). There is always a continuous search for agronomic improvement to optimize farming system under organic farming and needs suitable varieties to realise its potential (Kokare et al., 2014). Despite the potential benefits of organic farming in terms of better soil health and quality of produce, maintenance of high yields is one of major challenge under organic farming systems (Tilman et al., 2002). Modern cultivars have been selected by plant breeders under conventional systems and they may not International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 4 (2017) pp. 734-738 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Performance of modern cultivars in terms of yield under organic farming differs from that of conventional system. As the demand for organic rice is increasing, so to maintain high productivity, there is a need to evaluate modern high yielding rice varieties under organic farming systems. Field experiments were carried out using randomized complete block design involving fourteen rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties including seven coarse and seven fine grain types with three replications under organic farming systems for three years (2013-2015). Results of the study revealed that higher yield attributes viz. grain weight panicle -1 , 1000-grain weight, grain and straw yield as well as N, P and K uptake were recorded with coarse grain rice variety NDR-359. Among the fine grain rice varieties, Pant basmati-1 recorded higher grain yield as well as N, P, K and S uptake. So, coarse grain rice variety NDR-359 and fine grain rice variety Pant basmati-1 can be recommended under organic rice production in Tarai region of Uttarakhand (India). Keywords Organic farming, Rice varieties, Tarai region, Uptake, Yield. Accepted: 06 March 2017 Available Online: 10 April 2017 Article Info