Response of Rice to Biofertilizer

Abstract

The response of KDML.105 to biofertilizer (pig sludge from biogas digester) under different seedling numbers/hill was conducted at Mae Hia Agricultural Research Station and Training Center, Chiang Mai University during dry season 1993. The result showed that increasing seedling numbers /hill signifigantly affected tiller number/hill, shoot dry matter and leaf area index except height. Three seedlings/hill provided highest yield. All rates of biofertilizer application significantly increased in growth and yield production as compared to the control but gave the same level as official recommended chemical fertilizer.Three seedlings/hill provided higher panicle/hill and spikelet/ panicle than that of 5 seedlings/hill, but lower than 1 seedling/hill in spikelet/panicle. There was no significant difference in 1,000 seed weight.

The interaction effect of both biofertilizer rates and seedling numbers/hill was on tiller number/hill, shoot dry matter, leaf area index, grain yield and yield components except 1,000 seed weight and harvest index (HI). Three seedlings/hill and biofertilizer application at the rate of 1,400 kg./rai produced grain yield about 441.3 kg./rai that were not significantly different from recommended chemical fertilizer.