Fertilizer Management on Growth, Yield and Economic Return of Rice cv. Khao Dawk Mali 105 Production

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the management of fertilizers on growth and yield of rice cv. Khao Dawk Mali. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 3 treatments and 3 replications, including 1) chemical fertilizer (formulas 16-16-8 and 46-0-0 at the rates of 40 and 20 kg/rai, respectively) (control), 2) chemical fertilizer (formulas 16-16-8 and 46-0-0 at the rates of 40 and 20 kg/rai, respectively) + cattle manure (cow manure) 1,000 kg/rai, and 3) chemical fertilizer (formulas 16-16-8 and 46-0-0 at the rates of 40 and 20 kg/rai, respectively) + green manure (Crotalaria juncea) 5 kg sowed seed/rai. The study was conducted at the beginning of July 2015 in a sandy loam paddy soil in the Dongsing sub-district, Janghan district, Roi-Et province. The results showed that the chemical fertilizer (formulas 16-16-8 and 46-0-0 at the rates of 40 and 20 kg/rai, respectively) +cattle manure yielded higher plant height and above ground dry weight than the other treatments. However, the chemical fertilizer (formulas 16-16-8 and 46-0-0 at the rates of 40 and 20 kg/rai, respectively) + green manure treatment showed a trend in higher rice grain yield (708 kg/rai) and economic return over fertilizer cost (6,060
THB/rai) than the other treatments used in this study.