Implications of irrigation regimes and nitrogen timing on rice yield and quality under different production systems

SHAHID NAZEER (Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan)
NADEEM AKBAR (Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan)
SHAKEEL AHMAD ANJUM (Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan)
MUHAMMAD ANWAR-UL-HAQ (Department of Soil and Environmental Science, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan)

Nusantara Bioscience
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2026)

Abstract. Nazeer S, Akbar N, Anjum SA, Anwar-Ul-Haq M. 2026. Implications of irrigation regimes and nitrogen timing on rice yield and quality under different production systems. Nusantara Bioscience 18 (1): n180108. https://doi.org/10.13057/nusbiosci/n180108. Increasing production costs, shortage of water, and labor are posing threats to the sustainability of rice-wheat cropping system in Pakistan. The current study assessed the impact of production practices, irrigation strategies, and nitrogen placement on rice yield and grain quality. Field experiment was carried out for two consecutive seasons from 2022-2023 at Water Management Research Centre, PARS, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, through a randomized complete block design with factorial combination of two production practices (transplanted rice, TPR; direct-seeded rice, DSR), two irrigation management systems (Alternate Wetting and Drying, AWD; aerobic irrigation, AI) and nitrogen application timing before irrigation and after irrigation. Over the years, DSR performed better than TPR in terms of higher plant stand, productive tillers, and grain yield with an average grain yield of 5.75 t ha-¹ for DSR and 5.21 t ha-¹ for TPR. On the other hand, TPR proved superior to DSR in selected grain quality attributes. The AWD irrigation had a positive effect on the plant growth and yield attributes as well as grain quality, resulting in higher grain yield (6.5 t ha-¹) and higher protein content (7.81%) compared to the AI system. Application of the nitrogen fertilizer prior to the irrigation had more pronounced effect on growth, yield, and quality parameters than application after the irrigation. Interactions among the production systems, irrigation methods, and nitrogen fertilization showed that the best yield results could be obtained from the combination of the DSR technique (5.75 t ha-1), AWD (5.95 t ha-1), and nitrogen fertilizer application prior to the irrigation (5.68 t ha-1). Moreover, this combination led to better grain quality parameters, such as protein content and milling qualities.