Polysulphate Rice Trial in Indonesia
20
West Java province, Indonesia 2018
20
Key Conclusions
Polysulphate fertilizer increased plant height, panicle size, grain weight, and disease resistance of rice plants. The overall rice yield increased by a healthy 20%.
Objective
To evaluate the benefits to paddy rice (Oryza sativa) crop of Polysulphate fertilizer compared to the farmer’s usual fertilizer practice in West Java, Indonesia.
Trial Details
Trial station
West Java province, Indonesia
Crop
Rice
Product
Granular Polysulphate
Assessments
Yield
Treatments
An unreplicated field trial was carried out on 2 plots of 0.8 ha each. In the control plot, the farmer applied the usual fertilizer treatment of 250 kg/ha of urea at transplanting and 500 kg/ha of NPK (15:15:15) at 10 and 30 days after transplanting. In the Polysulphate-treated plots, 250 kg/ha of urea was applied at transplanting and 150 kg/ha of Polysulphate was applied at 20 and 35 days after transplanting.
Treatment | Urea | NPK 15:15:15 | Polysulphate |
---|---|---|---|
kg/ha | kg/ha | kg/ha | |
Control | 250 | 500 | - |
Polysulphate | 250 | - | 150 |
Treatments
An unreplicated field trial was carried out on 2 plots of 0.8 ha each. In the control plot, the farmer applied the usual fertilizer treatment of 250 kg/ha of urea at transplanting and 500 kg/ha of NPK (15:15:15) at 10 and 30 days after transplanting. In the Polysulphate-treated plots, 250 kg/ha of urea was applied at transplanting and 150 kg/ha of Polysulphate was applied at 20 and 35 days after transplanting.
Treatment | Urea | NPK 15:15:15 | Polysulphate |
---|---|---|---|
kg/ha | kg/ha | kg/ha | |
Control | 250 | 500 | - |
Polysulphate | 250 | - | 150 |
Results
- With the Polysulphate treatment, the rice yield (9.0 t/ha) was 20% higher than the control plot (7.5 t/ha).
- The Polysulphate paddy had bigger, and stronger, panicles compared to the control; the grains were rounder with a more uniform shape and better filling.
- The average weight of the grains was 9% higher in the plot fertilized with Polysulphate.
- The rice in the Polysulphate plot was 8-10 cm taller than the control and appeared less affected by diseases.
- Plants in the Polysulphate plot were more resistant to lodging, or damage caused by wind.
- Less blast disease (Pyricularia oryzae) and smut were reported in the Polysulphate plot compared to the control plot.
- There was no identifiable difference in response to Polysulphate between the 2 rice varieties, Kabir and Sertani.