Agriculture Business Week

With the cost of fertilizer spiraling up, meeting nutrient requirement of rice crop becomes doubly burdensome.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, a fanner spent close to P13,000 on the average in 2005-2007 dry season (DS) cropping, and 34 percent of this or P4,500 was spent on fertilizers. Many farmers, however, failed to apply the needed fertilizers due to financial constraints. While some managed to loan from banks or simply borrowed money from fellow farmers, fertilizer application was already late and affected crop performance.

For instance, nitrogen use can be_ optimized through “selection of proper fertilizer rates and sources, correct fertilizer placement, and optimum timing of applications,” according to the article “An Overview of Nutrient Management with Economic Considerations” published by the North Carolina State University. This shows that it is not enough that a farmer applies fertilizer because the amount and timing of application arc equally important.

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Good number of commercial organic fertilizers are now registered at the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA). Last year, the FPA listed 23 brands registered for rice fertilization. Apparently, the manufacturers of these brands claim that their products can effectively provide the nutrient needs of rice, especially under irrigated and rainfed lowland conditions.

How true is their claim?
The answer to this question could come from a paper by Dr. Cezar P. Mamaril and Michelle B. Castillo, which was presented during the recent 22nd National Rice R&D Conference at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

Dr. Mamaril, a retired soil science professor at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and retired soil scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), said that first and foremost processed organic fertilizers as well as plant biomass (straws, stovers, leaves), animal manure and food processing wastes are sources of soil organic matter.

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We had been mentioning the minus-one element technique or MOET as an effective and cheap method of determining nutrient deficiencies in irrigated and rain, fed ricefields. The results of the MOET become the basis for the kind of fertilizer that must be applied on the rice crop.

It should be kept in mind that as yields increase, native soil nutrients are mined heavily, causing deficiencies of micronutrients that are not often present in most high analysis fertilizers in the market. It is therefore imperative that fertilizers be judiciously applied based mainly on the need of the crop, and on the capacity of soil to store and provide the essential nutrients.

The MOET shows the status of essential nutrients in soils such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), zinc (Zn), sulfur (S) and, copper (Cu). The method simulates actual field condition of a flooded or submerged soil. It is easy to use with fast and reliable results, and does not require sophisticated equipment. In addition, the MOET kit is cheaper than other methods.

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