Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
The productivity of wetland rice is constrained by the reduced availability of S and micronutrients like B, Cu, and Zn in acid laterite soils of West Bengal, India. A greenhouse study was conducted using acid laterite (Ultisol, Salboni loam) to evaluate the effects of liming, soil moisture regime and application of sulfur, boron, copper and zinc on the availability of applied nutrients, growth and yield of rice. The effects of application of lime (2.0 t/ha) over no lime; alternate flooding and drying (AFD) over continuous flooding (CF) and moisture regime maintained at field capacity (FC); and nutrients viz., S, B, Cu and Zn on growth and yield of rice were assessed. Rice cv. IR 36 was grown with NPK applied @ 60 mg N, 30 mg P2O5 and 30 mg K2O/kg soil. S, B, Cu, and Zn were applied @ 10, 0.5, 1.5 and 5 mg/kg of soil, respectively. Application of 22.4 kg S, 1.12 kg B, 3.36 kg Cu, and 11.2 kg Zn/ha significantly enhanced the growth and yield of rice over control in acid laterite soil. Yield response of rice to the application of S, B, Cu and Zn was further improved by liming and alternate flooding and drying during the growing season.
Effect of liming on soil pH in acid laterite soil for favourable growth and yield of rice plant. Effect of soil moisture regimes like field capacity, flooding and alternate flooding and drying on availability of sulphur and micro nutrients in rice growing acid laterite soil. Effect of application of sulphur and micro nutrients (B, Cu, Zn) and its availability in soil and plant system in acid laterite soil for growth and yield of rice plant.
Acid soil, liming, soil moisture, sulphur, micronutrients, rice
