Reducing urea demand for rice crop through foliar application of urea in boro season

This study was carried out with a view to evaluating the effect of foliar application of urea on BRRI dhan29. The experiment was laid out in a RCBD design with seven treatments (T 1 : Full dose of prilled urea @ 140 Kg N ha -1 ) (control), T 2 (50% prilled urea + 5 foliar spray @ 0.5% N solution @ 5.5 kg N spray -1 ),T 3 (70% prilled urea + 3 foliar spray @ 0.5% N solution @ 5.5 kg N spray -1 ), T 4 (50% prilled urea + 3 foliar spray @ 1.0% N solution @ 11 kg N spray -1 ), T 5 (50% prilled urea + 5 foliar spray @ 0.5% N solution @ 5.5 kg N spray -1 + 5 t ha -1 cow dung), T 6 (70% prilled urea + 3 foliar spray @ 0.5% N solution @ 5.5 kg N spray -1 + 5 t ha -1 cow dung) and T 7 (50% prilled urea + 3 foliar spray @ 1.0% N solution @ 11 kg N spray -1 + 5 t ha -1 cow dung) and three replications. Soil and foliar application of nitrogen significantly influenced the growth and yield contributing characters like plant height, panicle length, and effective tillers hill -1 as well as the grain and straw yields of the crop. The treatment T 5 produced the highest grain yield (6.68 t ha -1 ) which was statistically similar to yield from T 7 , T 6 . Treatment T 2 ,T 3 and T 4 gave similar yield. The grain yields of these treatments were higher than those of T 1 treatment (soil application of urea only). The T 5 also produced the highest straw yield of the crop. The lowest grain yield of 4.72 t ha -1 and the lowest straw yield of 5.17 t ha -1 were recorded with T 1 (control). Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.3(1): 79-85, April 2016