Effect of Foliar Application of Chitin Nanofiber as A Replacement of Urea on Agronomical Parameters of Rice

This research involved evaluating the impact of chitin nanofibers (CNF) on the growth, yield, and yield-contributing characteristics of the short-duration, high-yielding, saline-tolerant Aman rice variety known as BRRI dhan75. The Nursery of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, conducted the pot experiment utilizing CNF on BRRI dhan75 from August 8, 2023, to November 16, 2023. The effect of CNF foliar application on BRRI dhan75 growth and yield was investigated in a single-factor experiment with five treatments (T1 = recommended dose of urea (Urea), T2 = two thirds urea and one third chitin nano fiber, T3 = half urea and half CNF, T4 = one third urea and two thirds CNF, and T5 = Chitin Nano Fiber) and four replications. In addition to yield features like effective tiller, panicle length, grain panicle-1, grain yield, straw yield, and harvest index, many growth metrics were assessed, including plant height, tiller number, and leaf chlorophyll content index. In comparison to urea as a soil application, foliar application of CNF was found to be statistically similar for all growth indices and yield contributing qualities. The development of yield qualities and rice yield was influenced equally by the application of urea to the soil and CNF to the leaves, as well as by their various combinations. For every condition, the N content and uptake of grain and straw were comparable. It shows that even though CNF was administered at a low concentration (0.01%) and had a lower N content than urea, plants absorbed an equivalent amount of N from CNF and urea, hence producing rice with comparable yield attributes and yield potential. Therefore, for rice cultivation, 0.01% CNF may be an acceptable substitute for urea.

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