Performance of formulated nitro humic acid-based rice grain booster

C.S. Chan, N.C. Wong and A. Muhammad Syahren

Abstract

One of the ways to increase rice yield is to ensure high percentage of filled grains. This can be done by timely delivery of appropriate nutrients during grain filling stage. MARDI has developed a nitro humic acid (NHA) -based rice grain booster and has been under evaluation since 2007. The evaluation was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved conducting screening experiments using troughs under glasshouse conditions. The second phase was conducted under field conditions in MARDI Research Station, Seberang Perai. The final stage was carried out in farmers’ fields to validate the booster recommended application based on results from trials conducted at the research station. The NHA-based formulation rice grain booster produced best results when it was sprayed twice during grain filling stage. The first spray was applied when the rice plant was at 10% flowering and the second spraying 10 days later. The rice grain booster supplements additional nutrients required rapidly when the crop is undergoing active grain filling. The recommended rate of grain booster application is 6 litres/ha. The results showed that grain booster application increased rice yield by 17 to 28% over two seasons in farmers’ fields.

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