Field experiment was conducted on Nitisols to evaluate the effects of combined application of primary, secondary and micronutrients on grain yield and protein content of upland rice varieties compared to the national recommendation. Factorial combination of five nutrient combinations (control, NP, NPK, NPKSZn and NPKSCaZn) and three upland rice varieties (Nechu Eruze, Superica-1 and NERICA-4) were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The result revealed that nutrient combinations significantly affected plant height and number of effective tillers m^-2. The highest grain number per panicles of 122 and 1000 grain weights of 30.9 g were recorded from NPKSZn. The maximum grain yield (4055.6 kg ha^-1) was also obtained from NPKSZn, followed by NPKSCaZn. Moreover, maximum grain protein content was registered from NPKSZn and NPKSCaZn. In contrast, the lowest value of these parameters was scored from the control. Among the varieties, NERICA-4 performed better than both varieties in yield and yield components. However, grain protein content of rice varieties was statistically similar.  Overall, combined application of primary, secondary and micronutrients significantly improved grain yield and protein content of upland rice compared to nationally recommended NP combinations.

 

Key words: Nechu Eruze, NERICA-4, Nitosols, nutritional security, rice grain yield, staple food crops, Superica-1.