The role of Azolla on improving nitrogen efficiency in rice cultivation

Subject Areas : Biochemistry

Etty  Safriyani ¹ (Graduate School, Universitas Sriwijaya, Palembang 30139, Indonesia |College of Agriculture, Universitas Musi Rawas, Indonesia)
Mery  Hasmeda ² (College of Agriculture, Universitas Sriwijaya, Inderalaya 30662, Indonesia)
Munandar  Munandar ³ (College of Agriculture, Universitas Sriwijaya, Inderalaya 30662, Indonesia)
Firdaus  Sulaiman ⁴ (College of Agriculture, Universitas Sriwijaya, Inderalaya 30662, Indonesia)
Holidi  Holidi ⁵ (College of Agriculture, Universitas Musi Rawas, Indonesia)
Kartika  Kartika ⁶ (Graduate School, Universitas Sriwijaya, Palembang 30139, Indonesia)

Received: 2020-04-25 Accepted : 2020-04-25 Published : 2020-01-01

Keywords: nitrogen, Azolla, paddy growth, plant production,

Abstract :

Nitrogen is essential for both vegetative and generative stages of plant growth. Nitrogen efficiency is related to plant growth, production cost, and fertilizer residue. Azolla has the ability to increase nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere. Thus, Azolla cultivation in paddy field is one strategy for improving nitrogen fertilizer efficiency and increasing plant vegetative and generative growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of Azolla on improving nitrogen efficiency. This study was conducted from January to April 2018 in irrigated paddy field of Lubuklinggau Selatan II, Lubuklinggau. The study was laid out in a randomized block design arrangement with 4 replications. Treatments were combinations of Azolla and urea which were applied during vegetative and generative stages: 115 kg N ha-1 without Azolla (K1), 115 kg N ha-1 + 1000 kg ha-1 Azolla (K2), 86 kg N ha -1+ 1000 kg ha-1 Azolla (K3), 58 kg N ha -1 + 1000 kg ha-1 Azolla (K4), 29 kg N ha-1 + 1000 kg ha-1Azolla (K5), and zero N+1000 kg ha-1 azolla (K6). The application of 86 kg N ha-1 and 1000 azolla kg ha-1 (K3) increased 15.54% rice growth, 25.49% yield, and improved the N fertilizer agronomic efficiency (AE), agro-physiological efficiency (APE), utilization efficiency (UE), and N efficiency ratio (NER).

References:

Baigi, M.G., H. Pirdashti, A. Abbasian and G.A. Mazandarani. 2013. 'Combined effect of duck and Azolla on dry matter partitioning of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the integrated rice-duck farming'. International Journal of Farming and Allied Sciences,2 (22): 1023-1028.

Bhuvaneshwari, K. and P.K. Singh. 2015. 'Response of nitrogen-fixing water fern Azolla biofertilization to rice crop'. Biotech.5:523-529.

Eagle, A.J., J.A. Bird, J.E. Hill, W.R. Horwath and C. Van Kessel. 2001. 'Nitrogen dynamics and fertilizer use efficiency in rice following straw incorporation and winter flooding'. Journal of Agronomy, 93(6): 1346-1354.

Fageria, N.K., O.P. De Morais and A.B. Dos Santos.  2010. 'Nitrogen use efficiency in upland rice genotypes'. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 33(11): 1696-1711.

Fageria, N.K. and A. Moreira.  2011. 'The role of mineral nutrition on root growth of crop plants'. Advances in Agronomy, 110: 251-331.

Fageria, N.K.  2014. Nitrogen Management in Crop Production.  CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture. 2016. Database of agriculture. available from http://www. pertanian.co.id.

Gomez, K.A. and A.A. Gomez.  1984.  'Statistical procedures for agricultural research'.  Second edition. A Willey Inter-science Publication, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Kartika, K., B. Lakitan, N. Sanjaya, A. Wijaya, S. Kadir, A. Kurnianingsih, L.I. Widuri, E. Siaga and M. Meihana. 2018a. 'Internal versus edge row comparison in jajar legowo 4:1 rice planting pattern at different frequency of fertilizer applications'. Agrivita, 40(2): 222-232.

Kartika, K., B. Lakitan, A. Wijaya, S. Kadir, L.I. Widuri, E. Siaga and M. Meihana. 2018b. 'Effects of particle size and application rate of rice-husk biochar on chemical properties of tropical wetland soil, rice growth and yield'. Australian Journal of Crop Science, 12(5): 817-826.

Kollah, B., A.K. Patra and S.R. Mohanty. 2016. 'Aquatic microphylla Azolla: a perspective paradigm for sustainable agriculture, environment and global climate change'. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(5): 4358-4369.

Mahalingam, PU., K. Muniappan, N. Arumugam and M. Senthil. 2014.  'Use of Azzola biofertilizer in pot culture studies with paddy crop Oryza sativa'. Journal of Agricultural Science, 2(3): 2321-6832.

Pabby, A., R. Prasanna and P.K. Singh. 2003. 'Azolla-Anabaena symbiosis-from traditional agriculture to biotechnology'. Indian Journal of Biotechnology, 2:26-37.

Raja, W., P. Rathaur, P.W. Ramteke and S.A. John. 2012. 'Effects of monocrotophos toxicity on growth and some physiological variables in water fern Azolla microphylla'. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 4(2): 1340-1348.

Sabetraftar, K., R. Zarkami, R. Sadeghi and P. Van Damme. 2013.' A review of some ecological factors affecting the growth of Azolla spp'. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences  11(1): 65-76.

Sainju, U.M. 2013. 'Tillage, cropping sequence, and nitrogen fertilization influence dryland soil nitrogen'. Agronomy Journal, 105:1253-1263.

Sato, S., K.T. Morgan, M. Ozores-Hampton, K. Mahmoud and E.H. Simonne.  2012. 'Nutrient balance and use efficiency in sandy soils cropped with tomato under seepage irrigation'. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 76(5):1867-1876.

Zheng, Y.M., Y.F. Ding, Q.S. Wang, G.H. Li, H. Wu, Q. Yuan, H.Z. Wang and S.H. Wang. 2007. 'Effect of nitrogen applied before transplanting on nutrient use efficiency in rice'.  Agricultural Sciences in China, 6(7):842-848.