methods of fertilizer application

Methods of fertilizer 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.


• 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.


• 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.


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.


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.


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.


• 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.


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.

Fertilizers application based on


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)


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.


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.


• 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.


More Crop

Less Cost

Avoid Disease

Reduction of GHG Emission


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.


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.


ii) Deep placementIt 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.


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:


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.


b) Side dressingIt 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.


c) Band placement

• If refers to the placement of fertilizer in bands.

• Band placement is of two types.

i) Hill placementIt 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.


ii) Row placementWhen 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 applicationIt 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.


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.


a) Starter solutions

It refers to the application of solution of N, P2O5 and 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


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.


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.


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


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.

There are three ways of using these N

fixing/P.S.M. bacteria.


Sl.No. Method of Application

Crops Dose/packets/Acre

Water RatioBF water

Soil

1 Root dip application

All crops 200g bio-fertilizers

400 ml 1:2 ***

2 sucker /set treatment

Sets of sugarcane base of banana

1 or 2kg 50 or 100 litres

1:50 ***

3 Soil application

All crops 2 kg for wetting

*** 40-50kg



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.


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.

methods of fertilizer application

Documents

placement of fertilizers

fertilizers application

application of fertilizers

seed row application

potassic fertilizers

spread of fertilizer

chemical fertilizers

quantity of fertilizers