~ 35 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2018; 7(3): 35-40 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.03 TPI 2018; 7(3): 35-40 © 2018 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 10-01-2018 Accepted: 11-02-2018 Jai Prakash Gupta Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India SC Vimal Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Ajay Kumar Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India GD Kushwaha Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India JP Srivastava Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Correspondence Jai Prakash Gupta Seed Technology Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NDUAT, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India To optimize doses of Zn, Fe and Mn in different combinations and its effect on yield contributing characters, seed recovery and quality in rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties Jai Prakash Gupta, SC Vimal, Ajay Kumar, GD Kushwaha and JP Srivastava Abstract The present investigation were conducted during Kharif 2015 and 2016 at Student Instructional Farm and lab experiments were carried out in Seed Testing Laboratory of Seed Technology Section, N. D. University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P.) India with objective of the study was to optimize doses of Zn, Fe and Mn in different combinations and its effect on yield contributing characters, seed recovery and quality in rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties for yield contributing traits and seed quality parameters i.e. days to 50% flowering, no of tillers per plant, productive tillers per hill, Plant height (cm), panicle length, Days to maturity, spikelet fertility, harvest index, seed recovery, seed yield (q/ha), 1000 seed weight (g), germination (%), seedling vigour index and electrical conductivity. The experiment was laid out in the three foliar spray of micronutrient doses viz. M1 (Zn, Fe and Mn @0.25%, 0.50% & 0.25%), M2 (Zn, Fe and Mn @ 0.50%, 1.00% & 0.50%) and M3 (Zn, Fe and Mn @0.75%, 1.50% & 0.75%) with three varieties viz. NDR 97, NDR359 and BPT 5204. The result revealed that inoculation of foliar spray of micronutrients doses significantly improved days to 50% flowering, no. of tillers per plant, productive tillers per hill, Plant height (cm), panicle length, Days to maturity, spikelet fertility, harvest index, seed recovery, seed yield (q/ha), 1000 seed weight (g), germination (%), vigour index and reduce electrical conductivity. Overall the treatment of findings revealed that among doses of foliar spray of micronutrient, Zn, Fe and Mn @ 0.75%, 1.50% & 0.75% may be utilized in rice for seed production as it produced higher seed yield, maintained the seed recovery and other yield contributing quality of seeds. Keywords: Micronutrients supplementation, foliar spray, seed recovery, Rice seed Introduction Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a semi-aquatic annual grass plant belongs to the genus Oryza, tribe Oryzeae and family Poaceae. It is the second largest principal food crop in the world after wheat and is one of the main staple food crop in India. Besides being the staple food crop, it has been the cornerstone of food and culture for our people. Among seven billion people on the earth, more than half of them depend on this crop for principal source of energy in their daily diet. Rice is distributed over a wider range of latitude from 50 0 N to 40 0 S and is being grown up to an altitude of 2500 meters. It evolved in humid tropics as a semi aquatic plant and it has got unique adaptive nature to hot humid environment, which is not seen in any other major cereal crop. Rice yield in India fluctuate greatly in time and space on account of its cultivation under diverse weather, ecological and socio-economic conditions. Out of the total 43.86 million ha. under rice, 20 million ha. area is irrigated and the remaining 23.86 million ha. area is cultivated in rainfed conditions. Rice can be grown under different agro-ecological environments. Seed quality plays a crucial role in realizing the full genetic potential of varieties as well as benefits of other agricultural inputs (Seshu and Dadlani, 1993) [11] . The use of quality seeds alone increases the productivity to the extent of 15-20 percent (Dahiya et al., 1993) [15] . Only seeds with assured genetic and physical purity can be expected to response to the other inputs in agriculture. Among the inputs used by the farmers for agriculture production seed is the cheapest one and it forms only part of the cultivation expenses. All the efforts and investment would be unremunerative if farmer does not get good quality seeds.