A field experiment was conducted during 2009 at Ludhiana to test the performance of direct-seeded drill against manual transplanter. Four treatments were evaluated, viz T(1), direct-seeded drill with adjustment of 30 kg/ha seed rate, T(2), direct-seeded drill with adjustment of 15 kg/ha seed rate, T(3), drum-seeded puddled transplanted rice with seed rate of 50 kg/ha, T(4), transplanting with Japanese manual transplanter. Grain yield found to be highest in T(4) treatment (7.85 tonnes/ha), followed by T(1) (7.8 tonnes/ha), T(2) (7.2 tonnes/ha) and T(3) treatments (6.1 tonnes/ha), respectively. However, it was found statistically same in T(1), T(2) and T(4) treatments. Grain yield in drum-seeded puddled transplanted rice decreased due to poor crop establishment which favoured more crop-weed competition at the early stage caused reduction in panicles/m(2) and 1 000-grain weight. Yield attributes were also found statistically same in T(1), T(2) and T(4) method. In direct seeded crop, T(1) showed more superiority than T(2) treatment revealed that 30 kg/ha seed rate in direct-seeded drill is optimum which favoured better plant growth, especially at the early stage due to having smothering effect on weeds.
