1181-Evaluation of the Urea Deep Placement (UDP) Technology in Irrigated Lowland, Direct Seeded Rice in Guyana

A CARDI PROJECT Prepared for the First International Workshop on Intensive Rice Production Sponsored by Cornell and EARTH Universities, Las Mercedes, Costa Rica 31 October – 1 November 2011 Evaluation of the Urea Deep Placement (UDP) Technology in Irrigated Lowland, Direct-Seeded Rice in Guyana Herman Adams and Bruce Lauckner, Collaborators: Ghansham Payman (GRDB) and Upendra Singh (IFDC)

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the rice trials is t o evaluate the UDP technology in the Caribbean by comparing it with the conventional method of broadcasting urea (UB) fertiliser into the flooded field over the rice transplants.

THE CARIBBEAN

BURMA RICE RESEARCH STATION IN GUYANA

BACKGROUND
Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) falls within the Cereal and Grain Legumes sub-programme of CARDI’s Crop Programme.
PROGRAMME STRATEGIC FOCI:
1) Genetic improvement
The rice variety “CARDI-70” was released in Belize in 1988.
2) Agronomic improvement
The innovative UDP technology, the placement of urea briquettes 7-10 cm below the roots of 14-day-old rice seedlings, has raised grain yields by 25% and reduced losses in N from 65% down to almost zero, in Bangladesh and Vietnam (IFDC).

METHODOLOGY
Location: Burma Rice Research Station –
Soils: frontland clays;
Mean Annual Temperature:19.8°C – 33.5°C; Mean annual rainfall: 2298 cm
Design: RCB
7 treatments in a 3*2 factorial (UB and UDP);
Control = 0 Nitrogen
Time of application: UDP – 12-14 DAS and UB - conventional 3 split apps
Replications: 4

METHODOLOGY (cont’d) Table 1 The treatments 7 field trials were conducted between 2009 – 2010 in Guyana * A single control RATES OF N (kg/ha) METHOD OF UREA APPLICATION UREA BROADCAST (UB) UREA DEEP PLACEMENT (UDP) 57 UB 57 UDP 57 84 UB 84 UDP 84 122 UB 122 UDP 122 0 Control* Control*

METHODOLOGY (cont’d)
Plot size: 6 m x 8 m
Rice variety: G98-22-4
Seed rate: 120 kg/ha
Analyses at harvest from nett plot (2 m x 4 m):
Number of tillers per m²
Number of panicles per m²
Panicle length (cm)
1000 grain weight (g)

METHODOLOGY (cont’d)
Number of filled grains per panicle
Number of unfilled grains per panicle
Grain yield per nett plot (kg)
Total dry matter at 14% moisture content (kg)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Table 2 Data on grain yield (kg/ha) combined for all 7 trials
LSD 0.05 = 514 Treatment Means Rank UB 84 3,455 I UDP 84 3,400 II UDP 122 3,380 III UB 57 3,287 IV UDP 57 3,144 V UB 122 3,124 VI Control 2,632 VII

Table 3 The best treatments which produced significant differences in the individual trials and for the combined data Parameters which showed significant differences Best treatments 1.Plant height in Trial # 1 UDP 57 and UB 57 2.Grain yield in Trial # 2 UDP 57 and UB 84 3.Grain yield in Trial # 3 UDP 84 and UB 57 4.Straw dry weight in Trial # 4 UDP 57 5.Filled grains in Trial # 6 UDP 57 6.Dry grain yield in Trial # 6 UDP 57 and UB 57 7.Wet grain yield in Trial # 6 UDP 57 8.Dry grain yield in Trial # 7 UDP 57 and UB 84 9.Wet straw weight in Trial # 7 UDP 57 and UB 57 10.Grain yield from combined data from all 7 trials UDP 57 and UB 57

CONCLUSIONS
The best treatments were UDP 57 and UB 57; they produced the tallest plants, the highest straw weight and yields which were not significantly lower than any other treatments.
These treatments however had the least input of N but were significantly higher than the Control of no N. This means that these two treatments would produce good yields at a low cost of production, urea being the single most costly input.
No advantage was demonstrated by UDP 57 over UB 57.

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
Further work should measure and compare costs of production and the effects of the residual N left in the soil, for the following crop.
Large scale field trials are required to study costs of production.
The next phase should evaluate mechanised minimum-till sowing with simultaneous placement of fertiliser briquettes (UDP) with plant nutritional needs during the entire cropping cycle.

Figure 1 Panoramic view of UDP trials before flowering; note difference in green leaf colour between plots

Figure 2: View of plots before harvest

Figure 3: Highest rate of N caused extensive lodging

Thank you

1181-Evaluation of the Urea Deep Placement (UDP) Technology in Irrigated Lowland, Direct Seeded Rice in Guyana

by SRI-Rice, CIIFAD, Cornell University on Nov 27, 2011

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1181-Evaluation of the Urea Deep Placement (UDP) Technology in Irrigated Lowland, Direct Seeded Rice in Guyana Presentation Transcript