African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6894

Full Length Research Paper

Utilization of nitrogen (15N) from urea and green manures by rice as affected by nitrogen fertilizer rate

Freddy Sinencio Contreras Espinal
  • Freddy Sinencio Contreras Espinal
  • Dominican Institute for Agriculture, Livestock and Forest (IDIAF) - C/ Rafael Augusto Sánchez#89, Ensanche Evaristo Morales. S. Domingo, Dominican Republic.
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Edson Cabral da Silva
  • Edson Cabral da Silva
  • Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura. Av. Centenário, no. 303, CEP 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
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Takashi Muraoka
  • Takashi Muraoka
  • Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura. Av. Centenário, no. 303, CEP 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
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Vinícius Ide Franzini
  • Vinícius Ide Franzini
  • Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Caixa Postal 48, CEP 66095-100 Belém, PA, Brazil.
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Paulo César Ocheuze Trivelin
  • Paulo César Ocheuze Trivelin
  • Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura. Av. Centenário, no. 303, CEP 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
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Marconi Batista Teixeira
  • Marconi Batista Teixeira
  • Instituto Federal Goiano – Campus Rio Verde. Rodovia Sul Goiana, Km 01, CEP 75901-970 Rio Verde, GO, Brazil.
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Karuppan Sakadevan
  • Karuppan Sakadevan
  • Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Subprogramme, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Vienna, Austria.
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  •  Received: 24 November 2015
  •  Accepted: 10 February 2016
  •  Published: 31 March 2016

Abstract

The use of green manures (GMs) in combination with nitrogen (N) fertilizer application is a promising practice to improve N fertilizer management in agricultural production systems. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the N use efficiency (NUE) of rice plant, derived from GMs including sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) and urea in the greenhouse. The experimental treatments included two GMs (sunn hemp-15N and millet-15N), absence of N organic source (without GM residues in soil) and four N rates, as urea-15N (0, 28.6, 57.2 and 85.8 mg N kg-1). The results showed that both rice grain and straw biomass yields under sunn hemp were greater than that of millet or without the application of GM. The NUE of rice under sunn hemp was greater than that under millet (18.9 and 7.8% under sunn hemp and millet, respectively). The urea N application rates did not affect the fertilizer NUE by rice (53.7%) with or without GMs. The NUE of GMs by rice plants ranged from 14.1% and 16.8% for root and shoot, respectively. The study showed that green manures can play an important role in enhancing soil fertility and N supply to subsequent crops.

Key words: Oryza sativa L., sunn hemp, millet, isotopic diluition, nitrogen mineralization.