Methods of fertilizer application

1. Methods of fertilizer application

2. Methods of fertilizer application Importance of Fertilizers application • Since most of the soils do not provide the requisite nutrients necessary for the growth and health of plants, they have to be fed with fertilizers to overcome the deficiency. • Also, fertilizers are not one-time materials which once provided do not have to be re-supplied. • In fact, every time you harvest your plants, they remove some nutrients along with them. • Thus, regular supply of fertilizers to plants is a must to ensure their regular growth and yield. Find out more about the significance of fertilizers in the following lines.

3. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • The fertilizer scheduling must be based on soil test. • Selection of fertilizers should be done according to the soil reaction viz., acidic fertilizers for alkaline soils and basic fertilizers for acidic soil reactions. • Surface application through broadcasting should not be adopted but the fertilizers should be placed about 3-4 cms by the side or below the seed.

4. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • The Phosphotic and Potassic fertilizers should be basal placed, because their poor mobility restricts them to the place of application. Therefore, they must be placed in the root zone. • Home mixing of fertilizers should be in accordance with the fertilizer-mixing guide and such fertilizers mixture must be applied as soon as possible.

5. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • In case of heavy soil type, half of the nitrogenous fertilizers should be basal placed and rest should be top-dressed in one split only. • But in case of light soils, nitrogen should be applied in three equal splits i.e 1/3 as basal, 1/3 after 30 days of sowing and the balance 1/3 about 50-60 days after sowing.

6. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • For at least a week, flooding with too deep water or poor drainage should be avoided after application of the fertilizers. • Top dressing should be done after draining out the water and weeding so that the loss of nutrient is minimum. Paddy fields, used for transplanting, should be puddled and fertilizers should be applied at the time of puddling. This will help fertilizers to penetrate and get stored in the soil.

7. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • The acidic soils should be treated with liming materials as and when required. • Deep placement of fertilizers, along with foliar feeding of nitrogen (i.e., urea) through spraying of nitrogenous fertilizers in place of top dressing should be done in case of dry lands. • Addition of organic manures or green manuring should be done at least once in 3-5 years. Weed growth should not be permitted in cropped areas, during any part of the year.

8. Methods of fertilizer application FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY • In case of flooded fields or calcareous soils, use of slow release nitrogenous fertilizers like Sulphur coated urea, urea super granules, Neem coated or Neem blended urea's should be used so that loss of nitrogen can be minimized. • Mud bolls, contain urea and should be used in case of deepwater crops because they help in proper placement and also reduce the loss of nitrogen from the field.

9. Methods of fertilizer application Fertilizers application based on • The relative efficiencies of the various methods depends on many factors. • Broadcast application may be less effective than banded or seed row application under some conditions. • Fertilizer placed in the seed row can delay or severely reduce crop emergence.

10. Methods of fertilizer application • The maximum rate that can be safely placed in the seed row depends on: • Crop type • Soil moisture • Soil type (clay and organic matter content) • Type of fertilizer • Row spacing and • Spread of seed and fertilizer (type of opener)

11. Methods of fertilizer application • Nitrogen fertilizers application based on leaf color chart • The leaf color chart (LCC) is an innovative cost effective tool for real-time or crop-need-based N management. • LCC is a visual and subjective indicator of plant nitrogen deficiency and is an inexpensive, easy to use and simple alternative to chlorophyll meter /SPAD meter (soil plant analysis development) . • It measures leaf color intensity that is related to leaf N status.

12. Methods of fertilizer application • LCC is an ideal tool to optimize N use at high yield levels, irrespective of the source of N applied, viz., organic manure, biologically fixed N, or chemical fertilizers. • Thus, it is an eco-friendly tool in the hands of farmers. Now, it is manufactured with 4 colors called Four Panel LCC & 6 colors called Six Panel LCC. • Moreover, LCC is provided with water-proof laminated instruction sticker in the required regional language.

13. Four Panel Leaf Color Chart Methods of fertilizer application Six Panel Leaf Color Chart

14. Purpose of Using LCC  Methods of fertilizer application • Purpose of using LCC is to apply adequate amount of nitrogen and avoid application of fertilizer more than required. • Use of LCC helps to determine nitrogen demand of the crop and guide right time of fertilizer nitrogen application so as to prevent unwanted nitrogen losses and their serious impacts on the ecosystem.

15. Advantages of using LCC Methods of fertilizer application • More Crop • Less Cost • Avoid Disease • Reduction of GHG Emission

16. Methods of fertilizer application

17. Methods of fertilizer application a) Broadcasting In generally banana crops broad casting methods are not followed . b) Placement It refers to the placement of fertilizers in soil at a specific place with or without reference to the position of the seed. Placement of fertilizers is normally recommended when the quantity of fertilizers to apply is small, development of the root system is poor, soil have a low level of fertility and to apply phosphatic and potassic fertilizer.  

18. Methods of fertilizer application i) Plough sole placement In this method, fertilizer is placed at the bottom of the plough furrow in a continuous band during the process of ploughing.

19. Methods of fertilizer application • ii) Deep placement • It is the placement of ammoniacal nitrogenous fertilizers in the reduction zone of soil particularly in paddy fields, where ammoniacal nitrogen remains available to the crop. • This method ensures better distribution of fertilizer in the root zone soil and prevents loss of nutrients by run-off.

20. Methods of fertilizer application iii) Localized placement It refers to the application of fertilizers into the soil close to the seed or plant in order to supply the nutrients in adequate amounts to the roots of growing plants. The common methods to place fertilizers close to the seed or plant are as follows:

21. Methods of fertilizer application • a) Drilling • In this method, the fertilizer is applied at the time of sowing by means of a seed-cum-fertilizer drill. • This places fertilizer and the seed in the same row but at different depths. • Although this method has been found suitable for the application of Phosphotic and Potassic fertilizers in cereal crops, but sometimes germination of seeds and young plants may get damaged due to higher concentration of soluble salts.

22. Methods of fertilizer application • b) Side dressing • It refers to the spread of fertilizer in between the rows and around the plants. The common methods of side-dressing are • Placement of nitrogenous fertilizers by hand in between the rows of crops like maize, sugarcane, cotton etc., to apply additional doses of nitrogen to the growing crops and • Placement of fertilizers around the trees like mango, apple, grapes, papaya etc.

23. Methods of fertilizer application • c) Band placement • If refers to the placement of fertilizer in bands. • Band placement is of two types. • i) Hill placement • It is practiced for the application of fertilizers in orchards. In this method, fertilizers are placed close to the plant in bands on one or both sides of the plant. • The length and depth of the band varies with the nature of the crop.

24. Methods of fertilizer application • ii) Row placement • When the crops like sugarcane, potato, maize, cereals etc., are sown close together in rows, the fertilizer is applied in continuous bands on one or both sides of the row, which is known as row placement. d) Pellet application • It refers to the placement of nitrogenous fertilizer in the form of pellets 2.5 to 5 cm deep between the rows of the paddy crop. • The fertilizer is mixed with the soil in the ratio of 1:10 and made small pellets of convenient size to deposit in the mud of paddy fields.

25. Advantages of placement of fertilizers Methods of fertilizer application • When the fertilizer is placed, there is minimum contact between the soil and the fertilizer, and thus fixation of nutrients is greatly reduced. • The weeds all over the field can not make use of the fertilizers. • Residual response of fertilizers is usually higher. • Utilization of fertilizers by the plants is higher. • Loss of nitrogen by leaching is reduced • Being immobile, phosphates are better utilized when placed.

26. Methods of fertilizer application

27. Methods of fertilizer application • a) Starter solutions • It refers to the application of solution of N, P2O5and K2O in the ratio of 1:2:1 and 1:1:2 to young plants at the time of transplanting, particularly for vegetables. • Starter solution helps in rapid establishment and quick growth of seedlings. • The disadvantages of starter solutions are • Extra labour is required, and • the fixation of phosphate is higher

28. Methods of fertilizer application • b) Foliar application • It refers to the spraying of fertilizer solutions containing one or more nutrients on the foliage of growing plants. • Several nutrient elements are readily absorbed by leaves when they are dissolved in water and sprayed on them. • The concentration of the spray solution has to be controlled, otherwise serious damage may result due to scorching of the leaves. • Foliar application is effective for the application of minor nutrients like iron, copper, boron, zinc and manganese. Sometimes insecticides are also applied along with fertilizers.

29. Methods of fertilizer application • c) Application through irrigation water (Fertigation) • It refers to the application of water soluble fertilizers through irrigation water. • The nutrients are thus carried into the soil in solution. • Generally nitrogenous fertilizers are applied through irrigation water.

30. Methods of fertilizer application • d) Injection into soil • Liquid fertilizers for injection into the soil may be of either pressure or non-pressure types. • Non-pressure solutions may be applied either on the surface or in furrows without appreciable loss of plant nutrients under most conditions. • Anhydrous ammonia must be placed in narrow furrows at a depth of 12-15 cm and covered immediately to prevent loss of ammonia

31. Methods of fertilizer application • e) Aerial application • In areas where ground application is not practicable, the fertilizer solutions are applied by aircraft particularly in hilly areas, in forest lands, in grass lands or in sugarcane fields etc.

32. BIO - FERTILIZERS APPLICATION METHODS Methods of fertilizer application There are three ways of using these N fixing/P.S.M. bacteria.

33. BIO - FERTILIZERS APPLICATION METHODS Methods of fertilizer application

34. Methods of fertilizer application • Sucker treatment • Sucker treatment is a most common method adopted for all types of inoculants. • The sucker treatment is effective and economic. • The coating can be done in a plastic bucket . For this purposes, a plastic bucket or big can be used. • Solutions can be used as sticker add @15-25 ml/kg • The bucket have to filled with 10% sugar solution or 40% Gum Arabic or synthetic glue or glues of vegetable or animal origin or honey or mineral oil or peanut oil or soybean oil or 10% molasses or tice starch etc. • The use of sticker is in view of to increase the amount of inoculants that will adhere to sucker so that number of rhizobia on the each sucker must retain higher population i.e. 103 to 106.

35. Methods of fertilizer application • Root Dipping • The required quantity of Azospirillum has to be mixed with 5-10 ltr of water at one corner of the field and all the plants have to kept for minimum ½ an hour before plating. • Soil Application • Mix 4 kg each of biofertilizers in 200 kg of compost and leave it overnight. Apply this mixture in the soil at the time of sowing or planting. • In plantation crops apply this mixture near root zone and cover with soil.