Applicability of MOET kit and MOET App to rainfed rice production

This paper evaluated the applicability of the MOET kit and MOET App in rainfed as compared to irrigated rice conditions. Originally, the MOET kit was designed for irrigated rice areas as most nutrients are plant-available in flooded conditions. This made limiting nutrients easily observable from the crop stand in a MOET setup. The availability of nutrients is due to an almost neutral soil pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 caused by flooding. However, nitrogen (N) under flooded conditions consequently undergoes stepwise reduction of plant-available nitrates resulting in significant N-losses. The alternating soil moisture conditions from flooded to aerated in rainfed are as could therefore be favourable to the plant's overall nutrition most particularly on the agronomic efficiency of applied N (AEN). Hence, the MOET kit and MOET App's applicability to rainfed conditions was tested via a 3-factorial experiment in split-split plot design. The replicated experiment was conducted at PhilRice CES in 2017DS where rice ecosystem (irrigated and rainfed condition) was the main plot while the subplot and sub-subplot were N-fertilizer levels and rainfed rice varieties, NSIC Rc346 and Rc348. Fertilizer management was implemented by fully applying the required P, K, S and Zn rates generated by the MOET App while N-levels were varied at zero N, half N and full N rates to analyze AEN. Results showed no significant differences in growth and grain yield performance between irrigated and rainfed conditions in both varieties. However, the actual AEN of both varieties were lower under rainfed condition contrary to earlier hypothesis but, AEN of Rc346 was better than Rc348 across ecosystems. Overall, though actual AEN values under rainfed were lower than irrigated, the statistically comparable growth and grain yield of the varieties in both rainfed and irrigated conditions showed applicability of MOET kit and MOET App-generated recommendations to favourable rainfed rice areas.