Growth and Yield Responses of Upland Rice (NERICA 2) under Different Water Regimes in Ibadan, Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted in 2005 on upland rice (NERICA 2) to determine actual water use pattern as it relates to growth and yield parameters for increased production in Nigeria. Results showed that between 200 and 450 mm of applied water is required for reasonable yield. The maximum water use of 3.35 mm/day was recorded during the flowering-milky stage (between 65 -80 DAP) while the lowest, 1.98 mm/day was recorded during the early vegetative stage (10-20 DAP) and late maturity (95-105 DAP). The maximum plant height (89 cm), maximum root depth (23 cm), panicle diameter (4.5 cm) and total grain yield of 1.36 t/ha were significantly excellent results when compared with WARDA s predicted values. The emergence of whiteheads between 65 -75 DAP which ranges between 7 to 16% was an indication of shortfalls in water requirements at flowering stage. Total grain yield of 1.36 t ha-1, the highest was recorded in the treatment that received water most (plot A) while the least grain yield of 0.16 t ha-1 was recorded in the treatment with least water application (plot D) The correlation values were high, Leaf Area Index (LAI) and days after planting DAP is 0.85 while Canopy Shading (CS) with DAP is 0.80.The application of water, being the dominant factor affecting growth and grain yield of rice needs to be properly scheduled for improved rice production and to avoid waste. A significant increase in yield up to about 15% can be guaranteed if scheduling is properly done with adequate processing and production cycle can be increased from two to three times a year for upland rice cultivars.