Muhammad Adil Maulana1, Abd Haris Bahrun2,3*, Muhammad Fuad Anshori 2,3, Andi Amran Sulaiman4, Fadjry Djufry5, Hasil Sembiring6 and Amin Nur5
1Agrotechnology Study Program, Graduate School, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia; 2Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia; 3Rice Research Group, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia; 4Department of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia; 5Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Engineering and Modernization, Ministry of Agriculture, Jakarta, Indonesia; 6Research Center for Food Crops, Research Organization for Agriculture and Food, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Indonesia
*Corresponding author: abahrun67@yahoo.com
Rice productivity in Indonesia is increasingly challenged by climate change, necessitating adaptive strategies through early-maturing varieties and improved crop management. This study evaluated the effects of vegetative-phase pruning and nitrogen (N) fertilization on the growth and yield of the early-maturing Cakrabuana rice variety and identified key agronomic traits associated with yield using multivariate analysis. Field experiments were conducted in Maradekkaya Village, Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, from August to November 2025 using a split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications. Pruning treatments consisted of no pruning and one-time pruning at 21 days after planting (DAP) at a height of 25 cm above the soil surface, while N was applied at 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg ha⁻¹. Observed parameters were evaluated sequentially using ANOVA, Pearson correlation, path analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and multiple regression. Nitrogen application significantly influenced most growth and yield-related traits, whereas pruning significantly increased total and productive tillers, flag leaf characteristics, panicle length, yield per clump, and grain yield. Significant pruning × nitrogen interactions were observed for tiller number, panicle length, grain length, 1000-grain weight, and yield. Correlation and path analyses identified productive tillers, panicle length, filled grain percentage, and yield per clump as the primary determinants of grain yield, while maturity duration showed a negative association. PCA explained 87.9% of total variation and clearly separated pruned and non-pruned treatments. Overall, pruning combined with adequate N fertilization, particularly 150 kg ha⁻¹, enhanced productive tillering, grain filling, and yield, demonstrating its potential to support climate-adaptive rice production systems.