Yield of rainfed lowland rice with medium water depth under anaerobic direct seeding and transplanting

Seeds of six rice cultivars sown in moistened soil and maintained after five days under 20 ± 5 cm of water were compared with 30‐day‐old seedlings transplanted in the normal way. Compared with transplanting, the crops from anaerobic direct seeding had more plant height and above‐ground dry matter, less chlorophyll and specific leaf weight, and more panicles per unit area and sterile spikelets. Panicle weight and harvest index showed highly significant positive associations with grain yield.