International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
†Delivered on 25th September 2003 at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India and organised by the Hyderabad Chapter of the Indian Society of Soil Science.
Iron toxicity is caused by excess iron mobilized in soil solution under submerged conditions in wetland rice. Iron toxicity is common in the humid zones of tropical regions on acid sulfate soils, acid Ultisols, Oxisols and sandy soils with a low cation exchange capacity, moderate to high acidity and easily reducible iron and low to moderately high in organic matter. Iron toxicity is reported to reduce rice yields by 12–100%, depending on the intensity of the disorder, iron-tolerance of the genotype, soil fertility, and soil, water and nutrient management practices. In this memorial lecture I share my research experiences and recent literature, with examples, on the occurrence of iron toxicity and its management through an integrated use of iron-tolerant rice genotypes with balanced nutrient management. It is concluded that the integrated approach has the potential to increase rice production on iron-toxic soils in tropical regions.
Iron toxicity, occurrence, tolerance to iron, role of other nutrients, integrated approach
