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EFFICACY EVALUATION
CB– RSG BIOLOGICAL FERTILIZER
 Objectives
Methodology
INTRODUCTION
Fertilizer
use is one of the basic considerations in agriculture. It
can be soil-applied using inorganic and/or organic
fertilizers, directly sprayed to plant leaves with
liquid/foliar fertilizers or a combination of both.
The
soil-applied fertilizers have relatively higher amounts
of macro-elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium. On the other hand, the very high macronutrient
required by most crops cannot be provided by
liquid/foliar fertilizers but they normally contain
essential microelements required for a balanced plant
nutrition.
CB-RSG is one
of the many liquid fertilizer formula which contain
organic biochemical macro and micronutrients. As a
requisite for registration to the FPA, this study was
specifically conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of
CB-RSG liquid fertilizers on the growth and yield of
lowland rice.
OBJECTIVES:
To
determine the effects of CB-RSG on the growth and
yield of lowland rice.
To
determine the economics of using CB-RSG alone or
in combination with inorganic fertilizer.
To
generate experimental data for FPA registration
purposes.
METHODOLOGY:
Site
Selection:
The site was within the National Soils and Water
Resources Research Center of the Bureau of Soils and
Water Management at San Ildefonso, Bulacan. It typifies
an irrigated lowland agricultural domain where the soil
is characteristically clayey and classified as a
vertisol. The specific soil properties of the
experimental area were as follows:
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pH
– 7.2
%O.M. – 1.50
Olsen P – 8 ppm
Hot K – 68 ppm
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Land preparation:
After land clearing, the experimental area was plowed and
harrowed twice, respectively.
Experimental
design and lay-out:
The experiment was laid out using a randomized complete
block design. There were eight treatments replicated
three times. Each plot measured 4m x 4m. The different
treatments were as follows:
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T1
- Control
T2 - M-99 (90-30-30, DS)
T3 - 1/3 M-99 (30-10-10)
T4 - 1/3 M-99 + CB-RSG
T5 - ½ M-99 (45-15-15)
T6 - ½ M-99 + CB-RSG
T7 - CB-RSG alone
T8 - M-99 + CB-RSG
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Seedbed preparation and
transplanting:
A wet seedbed was employed. For treatments using CB-RSG,
IR-42 rice seeds were soaked overnight in a solution
using 2 cc CB-RSG per 20 liters of water treated with 2
percent Benlate fungicide. For treatments without CB-RSG,
seeds were only soaked in 2 percent Benlate fungicide
solution. IR-42 is very susceptible to Bakanae and
Benlate fungicide proves to be an effective antidote to
this as far as our field experiences are concerned.
Inorganic
fertilization:
For treatments 2 and 8, one/half of the N fertilizer
(Ammonium sulfate) and all of the required P205 and K2O
were basally applied. The remaining N fertilizer was
topdressed before panicle initiation. For treatments 3,
4, 5, and 6, all the inorganic fertilizers were basally
applied.
CB-RSG
organic liquid/foliar fertilization:
At the last leveling, the corresponding CB-RSG treated
plots were soil-drenched at the rated of 10 cc CB-RSG per
16 liters of water (one knapsack-sprayer load). After 10
days, weekly foliar sprayings (up to six weeks) were done
at the rate of 3 cc CB-RSG per knapsack-sprayer load of
water. Thereafter, two or more additional foliar
sprayings using the same rate were done at 15 days
interval.
Transplanting:
The seedlings were transplanted in straight rows at the
rate of 3 seedlings per hill 21 days after sowing and
following the basal application of granular fertilizers
and soil-drenching with CB-RSG to corresponding plots.
Missing hills were replanted after 5 days.
Pre-harvest
data gathering:
1. Mean plant height at maximum tillering stage (60 DAS
or before panicle initiation).
2. The
average plant height, in cms, for each treatment was
determined through individual height measurements taken
from the base to the height of the tallest leaf of plants
from the 4 hills in the 4 corners of each plot (a total
of 16 hills).
3. Tiller
count at maximum tillering stage (60 DAS).
From the same
16 hills, tiller counts were recorded and transformed to
the number of tillers per m2. The area covered by the 16
hills was 0.64 m2.
Harvesting:
A total of 100 hills per plot were harvested. This
covered a harvest area of 4 m2.
Data
gathering of yield and yield components at harvest:
The missing data technique of statistical analysis was
employed for straw weight and grain yield because there
were taken from the 4 m2 harvest area of Rep 1 – T2,
T3 and T6 plots which were 50 percent rat-damaged during
harvest.
For the other
yield components such as plant height, panicle count and
fresh weight of panicles, the data were collected from
the 4 corner hills of each plot (16 hills) which were not
rat-damaged. The 16 hills cover an area of 0.64 m2. To
round up, this was transformed to 1 m2.
Mean
plant height:
From the tagged 16 hills, measurements in cms. were done
from the base to the height of the tallest panicle. These
measurements were then averaged.
Panicle
count:
The panicles from each tagged 16 hills were counted and
this count represented the productive tillers per plot.
Each count was likewise transformed into panicle count
per m2.
Fresh
weight of panicles, in gms:
The counted panicles per plot were weighed in gms and
this was also transformed to per m2 weight.
Straw
weight, in kg:
The 100 hills of rice plant from the 4 m2 harvest area
were threshed and straws were weighed.
Grain
yield in tons/ha:
The threshed grains were cleaned, winnowed, dried for 3
days and weighed. Each yield from 4 m2 harvest area was
transformed into tons per ha.
Economic
analysis:
The cost and return of using CB-RSG organic liquid/foliar
fertilizer, alone or in combination with organic
liquid/foliar fertilizers, was analyzed. A comparative
analysis with that of the M-99 recommendation for dry
season was also done.
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