2.6. Plant and soil sampling and analysis
The same plot was used for plant and soil sampling. Aboveground biomass was collected via removal from the plots with three replicates after harvest. The plants were washed with distilled water and ovendried at 80 °C for 3 days to a constant weight. Total plant biomass was the summation of stem, leaf and filled and unfilled spikelet dry matter. Subsequently, the samples were weighed to determine dry weight production. Rice was harvested fromtwo linear meters on different rows of unaffected areas, avoiding plot edges. Grain moisture after drying was determined using a hand-held moisture tester (John Deere, Moline IL, USA), and grain yield has been reported on a 14.5% moisture content basis.