NITROGEN RESPONSEO F THE RICE PLANT IN RELATION TO INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE SOIL SERIES IN MUDA

JOSEPH SAMY

SUMMARY

The studies on the nitrogen response of the rice plant in relation to the inherent soil characteristics were conducted in the Chengai, Tualang and Hutan soil series in the Muda Scheme Area. The inherent potentiality for grain yield in the three soil series can be related to the clay content and C.E.C. of the soil. These characteristics also seem to relate to the inherent available nitrogen content of the soil and the response to applied nitrogen fertilizer. In Chengai soil series the higher clay content and C.E.C. could cause a better retention and therefore utilization of nitrogen by the rice plant for a higher grain yield in comparison to Tualang and Hutan series. It was however observed that generally a higher nitrogen use efficiency was obtained at the lower levels of nitrogen and in the relativel poorer soils.

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