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Movement and distribution of fertilizer nitrogen as affected by depth of placement in wetland rice

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Abstract

Experiments were conducted to monitor the movement and distribution of ammonium-N after placement of urea and ammonium sulfate supergranules at 5, 7.5, 10, and 15 cm. By varying depths of fertilizer placement, it is possible to determine the appropriate depth for placement machines. There were no significant differences in grain yields with nitrogen placed 5 and 15 cm deep. However, grain yields were significantly higher with deep placement of nitrogen than with split application of the fertilizer. The lower yields with split-applied nitrogen were due to higher nitrogen losses from the floodwater. The floodwater with split application had 78–98µg N ml−1 and that with deep-placed nitrogen had a negligible nitrogen concentration.

Movement of NH +4 -N in the soil was traced for various depths after fertilizer nitrogen application. The general movement after deep-placement of the ammonium sulfate supergranules was downward > lateral > upward from the placement site. Downward movement was prevalent in the dry season: fertilizer placed at 5–7.5 cm produced a peak of NH +4 -N concentration at 8–12 cm soil depth; with placement at 15 cm, the fertilizer moved to 12–20 cm soil depth. Fertilizer placed at 10 cm tended to be stable. In the wet season, deep-placed N fertilizer was fairly stable and downward movement was minimal.

A substantially greater percentage of plant N was derived from15N-depleted fertilizer when deep-placed in the reduced soil layer than that applied in split doses. The percent N recovery with different placement depths, however, did not vary from each other. The results suggest that nitrogen placement at a 5-cm soil depth is adequate for high rice yields in a clayey soil with good water control. In farmers' fields where soil and water conditions are often less than ideal, however, it is desirable to place nitrogen fertilizer at greater depths and minimize NH +4 -N concentration in floodwater.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, The International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

    WN Obcema, SK De Datta & FE Broadbent

  2. Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, 95616, Davis, California, USA

    WN Obcema, SK De Datta & FE Broadbent

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  2. SK De Datta
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  3. FE Broadbent
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Obcema, W., De Datta, S. & Broadbent, F. Movement and distribution of fertilizer nitrogen as affected by depth of placement in wetland rice. Fertilizer Research 5, 125–148 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01052711

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