You are on page 1of 3

Soil, nutrient, and water management

Effects of organic and inorganic sources of


nutrients on the milling quality of lowland
irrigated rice
M.N. Budhar, Regional Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
(TNAU), Paiyur 635112, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu; and D. Malathi, Postharvest
Technology Centre, TNAU, Coimbatore, India

In recent years, consumers have shifted their preferences to milled rice without
brokens and head rice without any damage. Also, demand for rice bran has
increased because of its key role in helping enhance immunity and prevent
cancer. The commercial value of rice grain is greatly influenced by its milling
quality and physical appearance.
Field experiments were conducted at the TNAU Regional Research Station
in Paiyur during the dry (Jul-Nov) and wet (Dec-Apr) seasons of 2005-06 and
2006-07 to study the effect of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients and the
conjunctive use of these sources on the milling quality of lowland irrigated rice.
The treatments consisted of conjunctive use of organic and inorganic sources of
nutrients and integrated organic sources of nutrients compared with the
recommended dose of NPK alone and a control (no NPK) (see table). The
experiment adopted a randomized block design with three replications.
Green leaves collected from Pungamia glabra and well-decomposed
farmyard manure taken from a manure pit were incorporated basally 3 d before
transplanting. Vermicompost, azolla, and neem cake were applied to the rice
crop as topdressing at the active tillering stage. Azolla was applied as a dual
culture (500 kg ha–1) during transplanting and biomass was weighed and
incorporated. Neem cake was powdered well before application. The
recommended inorganic NPK fertilizer was applied as urea (46% N), single
superphosphate (16% P), and muriate of potash (60% K). Nitrogen was applied
in four splits: 50% at transplanting and the remaining dose in three equal splits at
active tillering, panicle initiation, and flowering. The full dose of P was applied
as basal at transplanting. Potassium was applied in three splits: 50% at basal and
the remaining dose in two equal splits at active tillering and flowering. The
experiments were conducted for 2 years (2005-06 and 2006-07) in four seasons
continuously with no change in layout. Twenty-five-day-old seedlings of ADT39

2010 1
International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)
Soil, nutrient, and water management

(for 2005-06) and ADT43 (for 2006-07) were transplanted using two seedlings per
hill at a spacing of 15 × 10 cm.
In all seasons, except in the 2006-07 wet season, no significant difference
was found in the recovery of head rice, broken rice, husk, and bran. Head rice
recovery was maximum in three instances: with no application of NPK, with
application of NPK alone, and with conjunctive use of organic and inorganic
sources of nutrients. Compared with the other treatments, the integrated organic
sources generally recorded less head rice recovery in all seasons. In general,
broken rice was least with the no-NPK treatment and with the use of integrated
organic sources. A higher percentage of broken rice was noted with conjunctive
use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources (see table).
The percentage recovery of husk was not significantly influenced by the
source of nutrients in the dry and wet seasons of 2005-06; however, a significant
difference was observed in both seasons of 2006-07. A lesser percentage of husk
was obtained from integrated organic sources of nutrients incorporation of
green leaf manure and application of azolla/neem cake/vermicompost—than
from any other sources of nutrients in the 2006-07 wet season. In the same
season, a significant difference in bran recovery was seen. Application of
integrated sources of nutrients alone—i.e., incorporation of green leaf manure
combined with application of vermicompost/azolla/neem cake—gave
significantly higher bran recovery than other nutrient sources (see table).
It can be concluded that the continuous use of organic and inorganic
sources of nutrients has a positive effect on the milling characteristics of rice.
Enhanced recovery of head rice and bran was achieved by the long-term
application of nutrients from organic sources. More studies to evaluate the effects
of different nutrient sources (as mediated by variety and season) on the milling
characteristics of rice are needed.

2010 2
International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)
Soil, nutrient, and water management

Effects of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on the percentage of head rice, broken rice, rice husk, and rice bran.
Treatment Head rice (%) Broken rice (%) Husk (%) Bran (%)
2005-06 2006-07 2005-06 2006-07 2005-06 2006-07 2005-06 2006-07
Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet
season season season season season season season season season season season season season season season season
Control (no 64.60 66.87 65.60 66.60 5.30 6.37 5.97 6.93 24.43 22.43 23.13 22.23 5.67 4.33 5.30 4.23
NPK)
NPK alone (150- 61.33 66.67 65.67 67.00 5.93 6.87 6.90 6.40 28.07 22.27 23.20 22.60 4.67 4.20 4.23 4.00
50-50 kg ha–1)
Green leaf 63.40 66.57 64.40 66.73 6.23 6.57 6.43 7.10 25.37 22.20 24.37 22.10 5.00 4.67 4.80 4.07
manure ( 6.25 t
ha–1) + NPK
Farmyard 63.83 65.87 65.27 66.70 5.80 7.17 6.13 7.13 25.27 22.50 23.57 21.90 5.10 4.47 5.03 4.27
manure (12.5 t
ha–1) + NPK
Green leaf 62.53 66.07 62.90 66.13 5.63 7.07 6.20 6.67 27.40 22.20 26.10 22.03 4.43 4.67 4.80 5.17
manure (6.25 t
ha–1) +
vermicompost
(1.0 t ha–1)
Green leaf 63.37 66.87 65.87 66.63 6.03 6.23 6.30 6.90 25.50 22.40 22.83 21.80 5.10 4.50 5.00 4.77
manure (6.25 t
ha–1) + azolla
(10 t ha–1)
Green leaf 63.07 65.90 64.20 66.67 6.23 7.23 6.50 6.90 25.87 22.40 24.50 21.80 4.83 4.47 4.80 4.63
manure (6.25 t
ha–1) + neem
cake (250 kg
ha–1)
CD (5%) ns ns ns 0.33 ns ns ns 0.29 ns ns 1.95 0.21 ns ns ns 0.51

2010 3 
International Rice Research Notes (0117-4185)

You might also like