Co-situs application of controlled-release fertilizers to alleviate iron chlorosis of paddy rice grown in calcareous soil

Abstract

Co-situs is the placement with one application of a sufficient amount of controlled-release fertilizer for an entire growing season at any site, together with seeds or seedlings, without causing fertilizer salt injury. An experiment was conducted to find an efficient method for ameliorating Fe deficiency in two rice cultivars (cv. Tsukinohikari and cv. Sasanishiki) grown in a calcareous soil (pH 9.2, CaCO3 384 g kg−1), which was poor in organic matter (0.1 g kg−1) and available Fe (3.0 μg g−1 soil). The field treatments consisted of co-situs application of the following fertilizers: 1) controlled-release NPK fertilizer (CRF-NPK) containing no micronutrients; 2) controlled-release NPK fertilizer containing micronutrients (CRF-M1); and 3) controlled-release NPK fertilizer containing micronutrients (CRF-M2). The main difference between CRF-M1 and CRF-M2 was that the former had larger granules than the latter. All the fertilizers were placed in contact with the roots of rice seedlings at transplanting time. Plants in the CRF-M1 and CRF-M2 treatments had similar lengths, number of stems, leaf age, and leaf color (SPAR value) during the cultivation period. By contrast, plants from the CRF-NPK treatments grew poorly, showed severe chlorosis symptoms of Fe deficiency, and all died on 30 DAT. Plants of both cultivars accumulated more macroand micronutrients with the CRF-M2 treatment than with the CRF-M1 treatment. The grain yield of cv. Tsukinohikari was 0.0, 1,910, and 2,160 kg ha−1 for the CRF-NPK, CRF-M1, and CRF-M2 treatments, respectively, and 0.0, 2,490, and 2,860 kg ha−1 for the same treatments for cv. Nihonbare. Chlorosis due to iron deficiency was successfully ameliorated and world-average grain yields were obtained with the co-sites application of both controlled-release fertilizers.