2019 Volume 63 Issue 4 Pages 176-185
In Myanmar, submerged and deep-water areas make up 13.5% of the total rice cultivation. The conditions here are unsuitable for seedling transplantation, and there is a locally-used method known as ‘cut-stem transplant’ (CST), a technique which allows rice production in the submerged and deep-water areas of Thanatpin Township, Bago Region. For this method, the rice stems are cut and transplanted using a fork-shaped tool. A survey was conducted in 2016 and 2017 to clarify the growth and yield of Pawsan and Yoesein varieties planted, with the CST technique in comparison with the same varieties grown using normal transplant and/or direct-seeded cultivation. The CST seedlings of the Pawsan variety produced tillers and roots from the lower elongated nodes within 3 days of transplantation, which developed into acropetal patterns. The second node produced a greater number of tillers and roots than other nodes. The harvest yield per m2 for this variety was the highest for the CST, followed by normal transplant and direct-seeded methods. Similarly, the grain yield per m2 of Yoesein CST was higher than those of direct-seeded methods. The grain yields per m2 in both varieties were most closely correlated with the number of grains per m2 for all rice cultivating methods except for the direct seeding of Yoesein in 2016. For the CST as well as other cultivation methods, the number of grains per m2 is strongly influenced by the number of panicles per m2. Therefore, to increase the rice yield when using CST, the cultivation methods for the varieties need to be manipulated so as to increase the number of panicles per m2 to ensure improved yields.
