Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on Physico-chemical Properties of Soil and Yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

In the current rice production system, rising fertilizer prices result in greater input costs and inconsistent results for many crop growers. For a high rice yield to be produced, a proper fertilization strategy is required. The present research aims to study the combined effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil physico-chemical properties and the yield of rice. The two-season experiment was carried out in a field of the Regional Research Center (Myaungmya), Department of Agriculture Research (DAR), Myanmar from September to December 2023 and February to May 2024. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block with 5 replications. The treatments were: T1= control (without fertilizer), T2 = 77 kg N ha-1 (DAR recommended), T3 = 77 kg N ha-1 + 5 t ha-1 compost of rice straw with cow-dung, T4 = 36 kg N ha-1 + 5 t ha-1 compost of rice straw with cow-dung, T5 = 26 kg N ha + 5 t ha-1 compost of rice straw with cow-dung, and T6 = 5 ton ha-1 compost of rice straw with cow-dung only. The result indicates that the application of the recommended fertilizer plus 5 t ha-1 rice straw with cow-dung compost increased rice yield by 5.98 and 6.4 t ha-1 in both seasons of 2024. The physicochemical properties of soil were not significantly changed among the treatments except potassium. Therefore, the combined application of organic compost and recommended inorganic fertilizers could increase rice grain yield by increasing the tiller number, spikelet per panicle, and filled grain percentage.