Plant growth parameters viz. plant height (cm), number of tillers m^-2, and plant dry matter (g m^-2) were studied during the investigation (Table 1). All these characters were significantly influenced by both crop establishment methods and nitrogen management practices but not due to their interaction.

Among crop establishment methods, significantly higher values of plant growth parameters were observed in T₄ treatment i.e. conventional tillage, which was on a par with T₁ treatment viz. dry seeding on puddled soil. Significantly the lowest values of plant growth parameters were observed in T₃ treatment i.e. minimum tillage. Treatment T₂was significantly superior over T₃ treatment but was significantly lower to T₄ and T₁ treatments, which could be due to T₄ and T₁ have higher values of plant growth parameters compared to other methods, this might be due to lower weed competition and higher nutrient uptake by crop, which provided congenial conditions for growth and development of rice crop.

There was a continuous stagnation of water in the puddled situation in the treatments T₄ and T₁. This continuous flooding with water could result in better terrestrial weed suppression. Added to this, there was a incorporation of these weeds in to the soil during puddling which adds organic matter to the soil. Hence, these treatments, rice crop was grown under weed free situation. Under these conditions, more nutrients were available to rice crop that encouraged rice crop growth thereby exposing to more light resulting in higher photosynthesis and better translocation of photosynthates in puddled plots. This could be the possible reason for the increase in growth parameters (Sarker et al. 2007; Das et al. 2014; Ashish Kumar, 2017; Nahar et al. 2018; Deo et al.2019).

In case of nitrogen treatments, 50% STBN through fertilizer with 50% N through cured poultry manure (N₅) treatment recorded the highest values compared to other treatments. However, it was on a par with the 75% STBN through fertilizer with 25% N through cured poultry manure (N₄) treatment followed by 50% STBN through fertilizer with 50% N through FYM (N₃) treatment. Whereas, N₃ and N₂ treatments were on a par with each other.

Significantly the lowest plant height was recorded with 100% STBN through fertilizer (N₁) treatment. Higher values of growth parameters recorded in poultry manure combination with inorganic nitrogen treatment might be due to its higher content of nitrogen that was readily available to the crop and combined use of organic sources along with inorganic nitrogen might have maintained the nitrogen status in soil throughout the crop growth resulting in quick vegetative growth (Jha et al. 2004; Umashankar et al. 2005; Hossaen et al. 2011). Tiller number increased with integration of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources than alone (chemical or organic nitrogen). This might be due to integration of chemical and organic sources provided enough nutrients. This ultimately influences the soil environment positively for plant growth and this favourable soil condition might have resulted into higher growth at all stages (Verma and Kaur 2016).

Data pertaining to number of panicls^-1, number of grains panicle^-1, grain and straw yield of rice significantly influenced by different crop establishment methods and nitrogen treatments during 2019-20 and 2020-21. With regard to yield attributes and yield, the interaction effect between crop establishment methods and nitrogen treatments was non significant. 1000 grain weight (g) was not significantly influenced by crop establishment methods and nitrogen treatments during both the year of experimentation are presented in Table 2.

Yield attributing parameters at harvest were observed significantly higher in conventional tillage than other crop establishment methods might be due to better environmental and eco-physiological conditions prevailed by less crop-weed competition for moisture and light and make better availability of nutrients for proper development of plant drymatter and yield attributing characters viz., productive tillers and filled grains per panicle which resulted in increased grain yield of rice (Kumar et al. 2016). It was also observed that dry seeding on puddled soil was on a par with conventional tillage which might be due to the fact that a dry seed was done on puddled soil and later the soil was converted into submerged conditions as the growth and development of plants increased similar to that of transplanting situation in conventional tillage (Singh et al. 2006).

Similarly, in the nitrogen management treatments significantly higher value of yield attributing parameters were recorded with the application of 50% STBN through fertilizer with 50% N through cured poultry manure, which was however at par with 75% STBN through fertilizer with 25% N through cured poultry manure might be due to higher nitrogen content in poultry manure which is readily available as compared to other organic manures and chemical fertilizers. The poultry manure is acidic in nature which might have helped in increasing the availability of nutrients. Concentration of essential nutrients for plants in the poultry manure were higher and steady nutrient release compared to other organic manures such as FYM could make it to perform well (Parihar 2004; kumar et al. 2008; Meena et al. 2017). Where N₃ and N₂ were comparable with each other during 2019-20 and 2020-21. The lowest values were recorded with 100% STBN through fertilizer might be due to less availability of nutrients at critical stages of crop growth period (Aruna et al. 2012; Jyothi et al. 2015).