A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam during early Pishanam season of 2018-2019 to investigating suitable irrigation practices through field water tube and weed management practices through low dose herbicides on growth and physiological parameters, microbial population, grain and straw yield of transplanted rice. The experiment was laid out in strip plot design with three replications. The treatments comprised of three different methods of irrigation in vertical strips and four methods of weed management practices in horizontal strips. The experimental results showed that, the growth and physiological parameters like plant height, total tillers m-2, Dry matter production, leaf area index (LAI) and crop growth rate were higher in continuous flooding which is on par with irrigation after 10 cm depletion field water tube method of irrigation. Among weed management practices, weed free check registered higher growth and physiological parameters and it was comparable with the application of PE Pyrazosulfur on ethyl @ 20g a.i. ha-1 fb POE Bispyribac sodium @ 25 g a.i. ha-1. Likewise, microbial colonies observation results showed that, higher bacterial and fungal population were found in 10 cm depletion of field water tube than continuous flooding and actinobacterial colonies were higher in continuous flooding. Among weed management practices, higher fungal and actinobacterial colonies were observed in unweeded control while higher bacterial population were recorded in application of PE Pyrazosulfuron ethyl @ 20g a.i. ha-1 fb POE Bispyribac sodium @ 25g a.i. ha-1. The higher grain and straw yield (6882 and 7675 kg ha-1) of rice was recorded in continuous submergence coupled with weed free environment. However, field water tube at 10 cm depletion + application of PE Pyrazosulfuron ethyl @ 20g a.i. ha-1 fb POE Bispyribac sodium @ 25 g a.i. ha-1 produced the on par yield.

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