Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture - It’s not yet too late to save on fertilizer

It’s not yet too late to save on fertilizer

Written by Written by: The Web Team
Friday, 29 August 2008
Is your rice crop nearing panicle initiation? Before you apply a judicious amount of fertilizer, take these three measures first offered by the Department of Agriculture (DA) where you can reduce fertilizer use yet still get optimum yield. A cost-saving tool A common practice among farmers is to routinely apply 3-4 bags N fertilizer during panicle initiation. This is not entirely a wrong practice, according to Ms. Evelyn Javier, soil scientist of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). "It is crucial for rice at this stage to have the necessary nutrients for reproductive growth. But applying N when the crop does not yet need it or applying more than what it needs is a waste of money,” she added. A simple diagnostic tool to know whether the crop needs nitrogen and in what amount is the leaf color chart (LCC). Starting 14 days after transplanting or 21 days after direct wet seeding until the first flowering, the nitrogen status of the rice plant can be monitored weekly by comparing the color of rice leaves with four shades of green on the LCC’s comparator strips. “Farmers should only apply N fertilizer when LCC readings fall below the critical number '4' (for transplanted rice) or '3' (for direct wet-seeded rice),” Dr. Rolando Cruz, PhilRice agronomist, stressed. “With the LCC, farmers can now do away with their routine practice of applying 3-4 bags N fertilizer per hectare and save at least one bag of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare,” Javier stressed. At current prices, one bag of urea costs P1,900. The LCC also comes with recommendations on how much nitrogen to apply. “If the LCC readings fall below the critical number, farmers should apply one bag urea or two bags ammonium sulfate (if soil is deficient in sulfur) per hectare during wet season.” Javier said. Subsidized fertilize use Farmers can also save at least P250 in fertilizer costs through the fertilizer subsidy given by DA to wet season rice farmers. The subsidy is given through two discount coupons worth P250 each. Two coupons are given for each hectare of land planted to rice. The discount coupons can be acquired from municipal agriculturists. Farmers need only to present these to accredited fertilizer retailers to avail of the discount. LCCs are also distributed to farmers who attend the technical briefings conducted by the Regional Field Units of DA in the following months. Approximately 64,000 LCCs are given free of charge. Savings by long term means In addition to LCC, experts also recommend long-term measures of improving and maintaining soil fertility. One of these is the incorporation of organic fertilizer into the soil. Javier explained that organic fertilizer in the form of farm and household wastes improves the indigenous nutrient supply of the soil, which may eventually be available for plant use. “Although a significant increase in nutrient supply is attained after at least three years, farmers can in the meantime save on the use of inorganic fertilizers guided by other plant-based nutrient diagnostic tools like the minus-one element technique (MOET),” she stressed. MOET tests the availability of nutrients in their soil. It is a simple pot experiment that allows farmers to determine major nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, copper and zinc – that are lacking in the soil. MOET is done by planting rice in pots, applying fertilizer formulations with one element lacking, and comparing them with the pot planted with rice supplied with complete fertilizer. MOET must be conducted immediately after harvest so farmers can see the results before the start of the next cropping season, experts say. Questions and requests for more information related to this article can be sent to the Farmers’ Text Center at 0920-911-1398.