Boro rice cultivation is an emerging rice culture in some parts of Nepal. Nursery raising is one of the major problems in Boro rice
culture. Rice seedling remains for long period in the nursery during winter season, which causes cold injury and breakage of seedling
during up-rooting. Crop period being longer in the main field may require higher dose of inorganic nitrogen during different growth
period. Therefore, three experiments were conducted with the objectives to study the effect of different materials on seedling growth
and t~e effect of plant stand and nitrogen levels on growth and yield of 1ice with different designs during 2004 and 2005 at NRRP,
Hardmath. The study revealed that use of either chopped wheat straw, chopped rice straw or compost significantly increased the
seedling height and weight at various days after seeding. Plant spacing had not any effect of filled grains/panicles, 1000 grain
weight, grain yield and harvest index. But biomass per unit area was significantly more (936 kglm2) under closer spacing (20 x 10
em) of transplant with lower panicleslm2 (6.9). Increasing levels of nitrogen significantly increased biomass/m2, filled grains/panicle,
1000 seed weight and grain yield up to 120 kglha. Beyond this level of nitrogen all these characters were art par. Harvest index did
not differ due to application increasing level of nitrogen. The study also revealed that more the number of split application of
nitrogen higher the panicle/hill, biomass/m2
, filled grains/panicle, 1000 grain weight and grain yield. Nitrogen applied as 25% basal
+ 25% at 30 or 40 DA T + 25% at 40 or 50 DAT + 25% at 50 or 60 DAT significantly produced higher grain yield of 4,241 and
4,322 kglha, respectively, than other treatments. As the studies were done only for one year, there experiments should be continued
for few more years to confirm the results and to make the recommendation.

Boro rice cultivation is an emerging rice culture in some parts of Nepal. Nursery raising is one of the major problems in Boro rice
culture. Rice seedling remains for long period in the nursery during winter season, which causes cold injury and breakage of seedling
during up-rooting. Crop period being longer in the main field may require higher dose of inorganic nitrogen during different growth
period. Therefore, three experiments were conducted with the objectives to study the effect of different materials on seedling growth
and t~e effect of plant stand and nitrogen levels on growth and yield of 1ice with different designs during 2004 and 2005 at NRRP,
Hardmath. The study revealed that use of either chopped wheat straw, chopped rice straw or compost significantly increased the
seedling height and weight at various days after seeding. Plant spacing had not any effect of filled grains/panicles, 1000 grain
weight, grain yield and harvest index. But biomass per unit area was significantly more (936 kglm2) under closer spacing (20 x 10
em) of transplant with lower panicleslm2 (6.9). Increasing levels of nitrogen significantly increased biomass/m2, filled grains/panicle,
1000 seed weight and grain yield up to 120 kglha. Beyond this level of nitrogen all these characters were art par. Harvest index did
not differ due to application increasing level of nitrogen. The study also revealed that more the number of split application of
nitrogen higher the panicle/hill, biomass/m2
, filled grains/panicle, 1000 grain weight and grain yield. Nitrogen applied as 25% basal
+ 25% at 30 or 40 DA T + 25% at 40 or 50 DAT + 25% at 50 or 60 DAT significantly produced higher grain yield of 4,241 and
4,322 kglha, respectively, than other treatments. As the studies were done only for one year, there experiments should be continued
for few more years to confirm the results and to make the recommendation.