Fertilizer requirement of Rice (ਝੋਨੇ ਦੇ ਵੱਧ ਝਾੜ ਲਈ ਆਹ ਖਾਦਾਂ ਪਾਓ) Shergill Markhai

Chemical Fertilizers: Apply fertilizer on soil test basis (See Chapter on ‘Soil Testing’). However, in the absence of soil test, apply the fertilizers as under:

Fertilizers (kg per acre)

Neem coated urea 90 kg
DAP 27kg
or single superphosphate 75kg
Muriate of potash 20kg
* These nutrients can also be supplied from the other fertilizers available in the market (Appendix VII)
To reduce sterility in paddy, apply foliar spray of 1.5% potassium nitrate (3 kg potassium nitrate in 200 litre of water per acre) at boot stage.
Note:
•
Skip phosphorus application to rice if recommended dose of phosphorus had been applied to the preceding wheat crop.
•
Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers only when the soil test shows deficiency of these nutrients .
• Apply the whole of phosphorus and potassium as per soil test before the puddling. Phosphorus can be top dressed up to 21 days after transplanting.
•
When 27 kg DAP is used in deficient soil, reduce the urea dose by 10 kg.
• Apply nitrogen fertilizer in 3 equal splits to all recommended varities. The first split should be applied upto 7 days of transplanting and second split at 21 days of transplanting. The third split to short duration (PR 126) should be applied at 35 days of transplanting while for other varieties, it should be applied at 42 days of transplanting.
• Apply the second and the third split of nitrogen when water is not standing in the field. Irrigate on the third day of the application of fertilizer.
Zinc Deficiency: The symptoms of zinc deficiency appear 2-3 weeks after transplanting . The lower leaves become rusty brown near the base and ultimately dry up. The seedlings with zinc deficiency remain stunted and tillerless. To control this malady, apply 25 kg of zinc sulphate heptahydrate (21%) or 16 kg zinc sulphate monohydrate (33%) per acre at puddling in case previous crop in this field had shown the symptoms of zinc deficiency. Where the deficiency is noticed in the growing crop, apply this quantity of zinc sulphate as soon as possible.
In highly deteriorated soils, the symptoms of zinc deficiency sometimes appear in patches even after the application of the recommended dose of zinc sulphate. In that event, broadcast 10 kg of zinc sulphate heptahydrate or 6.5 kg zinc sulphate monohydrate per acre mixed with an equal quantity of dry soil on the affected patches.
Iron Deficiency: Under scarcity of water, chlorosis among seedlings appears in the youngest leaf about three weeks after transplanting (Plate No. 2, page 186). Plants die and often the crop fails completely. Start giving copious irrigations as soon as chlorosis appears and give 2 or 3 sprays of one per cent ferrous sulphate solution at weekly intervals (1 kg of ferrous sulphate in 100 litres of water per acre).