Agronomic performance of the rice cultivar Tumbeta as a function of plant density

Adjustments in the planting density of the Tumbeta variety under an irrigated system directly influence vegetative growth, resource use efficiency, and rice productivity. Defining an appropriate density maximizes crop yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant density on the agronomic performance of the Tumbeta rice cultivar under an irrigation system. The experiment was conducted during the 2022/2023 season at the Chókwè Agricultural Station, Gaza province, Mozambique, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD), with 10 treatments and three replications, totaling 30 plots. The treatments used were different transplant densities. The transplant densities ranged from 1 to 10 seedlings per hole. The variables analyzed were grain yield and number of panicles m⁻². The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant effect of plant density on grain yield and the number of panicles m⁻². The highest grain yields were observed at densities of 4, 5, 6, and 7 plants per hole, with averages of 9.7, 9.4, 9, and 9 t ha⁻¹, respectively. For the number of panicles m⁻², the best density was 4 plants per hole, with 379 panicles m⁻². It is important to highlight that the plant density per hole has a direct impact on grain yield and the number of panicles m⁻² of the Tumbeta rice cultivar.