IMPACT OF PRODUCTION INPUTS AND TIMING ON PADDY YIELD AND CRACKING IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

Under rain-fed conditions, perfumed rice production in Northern Ghana is associated with high paddy cracking during milling. High breakages due to cracks do not meet the prevailing consumer preference for whole grains and results in low market value for the resource-constrained farmer. In this study, 4 perfumed rice varieties, 3 split application regimes of nitrogen, 6 staggered planting times, 6 staggered harvesting times and staggered storage duration from harvest to 6 months of storage were used to identify the best combination of factors that are associated with low cracking.The field experiment was a 3x4x6 factorial experiment consisting of three Nitrogen application regimes (1 basal, 1 top-dressing; 1 basal, 2 top-dressing; and 1 basal, 3 top-dressing), four rice varieties (AGRA,Gbewaa, Exbaika and Perfumed Irrigated), and six planting dates. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three geographically distinct locations serving as replicates. Growth and yield parameters as well as grain moisture and cracking were determined. The results indicated a mixed factorial interaction for all measured variables. While variety and split N-application regime less affected paddy growth and yield, favorable growth and yield parameters (P < 0.05) were observed for early planting and early harvesting. Similarly, early planting, early harvesting and short storage duration reduced paddy cracking compared to late treatments(P <0.05). For all treatment combinations, milling within two weeks after harvesting was associated with lower cracking as long as the harvesting cycle did not exceed the fourth cycle. After the second month of storage, percentage cracking was high, approaching 90% in most cases. To enable straight milling and reduce cracking, early planting, early harvesting and less than two months of storage is recommended for perfumed rice production.