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Nutrient Management

Organic nutrient management:

Adequate and timely supply of nutrients is necessary for obtaining sustainable rice production. However, farmers mostly apply nitrogenous fertilizers which may not only be responsible for lower grain yield but also causes serious environmental fallouts. Organic sources not only alter the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil positively for beneficial soil macro and micro flora but is also good source of micronutrients which is very essential for sustainable production. Application of FYM @ 10-15 t/ha and/or vermicompost @ 3-6 t/ha either alone or in combination is recommended for optimum yield (Reza, S. K. 2014. Pers. Communication). Addition of organic matter in the soil is a well-known practice to increase crop yields. Yadav et al. (2013) reviewed the work of many researchers and summarized that the application of organic materials increased grain and straw yield of rice. Ranganathan and Selvaseelan (1997) found that application of spent mushroom and rice straw compost though comparable with FYM increased rice grain yields by 20 per cent over NPK fertilizer. Singh et al. (1998) reported that the application of 7.5 t FYM/ha produced significantly more grain, and straw yields over unfertilized fields. All the yield attributing characters of rice increased with increasing rates of FYM. Organic farming with Sesbania aculeata L. (dhaincha) manifested in considerable improvement in grain yield of rice (Singh et al., 2001). Critical concentration of plant nutrients in rice below which the rice plant show the deficiency symptoms are given in Table 2.

Table 2. Critical concentration of plant nutrients in rice

Element               Crtical Concentration               Growth Stage                        Plant Part
   N                                    2.5%                               Tillering                             Leaf blade
   P                                    0.1%                               Tillering                             Leaf blade
  K                                     1.0%                               Maturity                               Straw
  Mg                                  0.10%                              Maturity                              Straw
  S                                     1.0%                               Maturity                               Straw
  Si                                     5%                                 Maturity                               Straw
  Fe                                    70ppm                            Tillering                            Leaf blade
  Zn                                    20ppm                            Tillering                              Shoot
  Sn                                    10ppm                           Tillering                               Shoot