RECLAMATION OF SOIL ACIDITY THROUGH LIME AND FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT FOR THE CULTIVATION OF RICE VAR. BRRI DHAN50

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Sylhet Agricultural University Sylhet (SAU), Sylhet to study the effect of reclamation of soil acidity through lime and fertilizer management on the yield and yield contributing characters of rice var. BRRI dhan50 during Aman season of 2012 and to see soil nutrients status after harvest. The experimental area belongs to the highly acidic, parent materials rich and heavy silt loam or silty clay loam under Agro-ecological Zone of Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plain (AEZ 22). The soil was silt loam in texture having pH 5.2, organic matter 1.85%, total N 0.10%, available P 47 ppm, exchangeable K 0.18 me/l00 g soil, available S 22 ppm, available Zn 0.98 ppm in initial soil. The experiment was consisted of two factors viz., lime and fertilizer. There were 4 levels of lime and 3 levels of fertilizers which are- Factor A: Lime, 4 levels- (i) 0 t/ha (L1), (ii) 0.50 t/ha (L2), (iii) 1.00 t/ha (L3) and (iv) 1.50 t/ha (L4); Factor B: Fertilizer, 3 levels- (i) Control @ 0 t/ha (F1), (ii) Organic fertilizer (cow dung) @ 10 t/ha (F2) and (iii) Chemical fertilizer @ 230, 140, 85, 15 and 2.0 kg/ha of Urea, TSP, MoP, Gypsum and ZnSO4 (F3, recommended dose). Thus, there were 12 treatment combinations and laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The unit plot size was 4 m x 2.5 m. Plant and yield contributing characters were recorded at harvest. Results indicated that the highest mean grain yield (2.90 t/ha) irrespective of fertilizer was obtained with 1.50 t lime/ha (L4) and the lowest (2.06 t/ha) was in control (L1). The highest mean effect of fertilizers showed that grain yield was (3.08 t/ha) found with the application of cow dung @ 10 t/ha (F2) and the lowest yield was (1.59 t/ha) with control (F1). The treatment combination of 1.50 t lime/ha and organic fertilizer cow dung @ 10 t/ha i.e., L4F2 produced the highest grain yield of 3.60 t/ha while it was closely followed by L3F2 and L4F3 (3.28 t/ha and 3.27 t/ha, respectively). It indicated that both cow dung and lime and also lime and recommended dose of chemical fertilizer could affect yield performance of rice variety BRRI dhan50 (Banglamoti).