Effect of legume incorporation or living mulch on rice growth, yield and soil inorganic nitrogen in southwest Japan
2009
Asagi, N.(Ehime Univ., Matsuyama (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Ueno, H.
The effects of cover crop on rice growth, yield, and nitrogen in soil were investigated and compared with those of chemical fertilizer (CF) and no fertilizer (NF) application in the Shikoku region of Japan. White clover (WC) was incorporated into paddy soil (WCIN) or used as living mulch without tillage (WCLM). A field experiment was conducted in 2004 and 2006. The NH4-N level in the soil of WCIN was higher than that in NF at 1 day after transplanting (DAT). Rice height, number of tillers and leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value) at 50, 97, and 114 DAT, the number of spikelets and yield per unit area at 114 DAT in WCIN were higher than those in NF. These findings indicate the positive effects of WC incorporation on soil nitrogen, rice yield, and nitrogen uptake. In WCLM, the NH4-N level in soil was lower than that in NF at 1 DAT. The yield per unit area in WCLM was lower than that in CF and WCIN. This may be due to the lower numbers of panicles and spikelets per unit area in WCLM. These suggest that effects of WC living mulch on nitrogen supply to rice, increase of the numbers of panicles and spikelets were lower than those of WC incorporation. In order to increase rice yield in cultivation with a cover crop, it is necessary to increase yield of cover crop and improve methods of fertilization suitable for each application with cover crop (incorporation, living mulch).
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