FOLIAR FERTILIZATION ON BRRIdhan 28 TO REDUCE SOIL APPLICATION OF NITROGENOUS FERTILIZER

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to find out the effect of foliar fertilization (Magic growth) on performance of BRRIdhan 28 and to calculate how much urea can be saved by foliar fertilization of Magic growth without any yield reduction at the research field and laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology department, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur during the period of November 2012 to June 2013. The experiment was conducted in a split plot design with three replications. Two levels of foliar fertilization (no foliar fertilization and foliar fertilization with magic growth) were placed in the main plots as main plot treatments whereas four nitrogen fertilizer levels (0, 50, 75 and 100% of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer) were placed randomly in the sub plots as sub plot treatments. Foliar fertilization with magic growth showed higher plant height, tillers hill’, SPAD value of the youngest fully expanded leaf and above ground biomass at 40, 55, and 70 DAT (days after transplanting) compared to no foliar fertilization treatment. All the parameters were also increased with the increment of nitrogen level. Foliar fertilization and increasing nitrogen fertilizer levels significantly influenced effective tillers hill', spikelets panicle’, grains pnicle”', thousand grains weight, grain yield and straw yield of BRRIdhan 28. In general, foliar fertilization (F,) treatment provided greater grain yield compared to no foliar fertilization treatment (Fo) in all nitrogen levels. On the other hand, with the increment of nitrogen level the grain yield was increased up to Njo9 in no foliar fertilization treatment (Fo) but in foliar fertilization treatment (F)), grain yield was increased with the increment of nitrogen level up to N75 and there after decreased in Njoo, Foliar fertilization with magic growth along with 50% of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer saved 50% of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer without any yield reduction. Foliar fertilization with magic growth along with 75% of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer increased 16.9% grain yield with a saving of 25% of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer whereas foliar fertilization along with 100% recommended nitrogen fertilizer increased 9.33% grain yield compared to recommended practice alone.