To study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer sources and foliar spray of organic acids on rice crop, In this regard, this test was performed in 2010 and 2011 years at El- Gemmeiza Agricultural Research Station, El-Gharbia Governorate located at lat. 30.47, long 31.00 and 14.80 m above the mean sea; the used design was split plot randomized complete block with 3replications. Main plots, two nitrogen fertilizer sources: anhydrous ammonia & urea while subplots, were treated with foliar application of humic and / or fulvic acid resulting 4 treatments including: controls (without foliar spray), humic, fulvic and humic +fulvic acids were considered. Anhydrous ammonia achieved significantly increases of tillers No. /m2, 1000 grains weight (g) and straw yield (t/fed.,) in first season only. The same trend was observed on grain and straw yield of rice plant in second one. N, p & K content of grain and straw as well as NO2 and NO3 of grain and straw were increased significantly by adding anhydrous ammonia. While, the lowest significant values of such parameters were recorded by urea nitrogen fertilizer in both growing seasons. In most cases, foliar application of humic and fulvic acids together led to significant increases of plant height, tillers No. /m2, 1000 grains weight (g), grain, straw rice yield and N, p & K content of grain and straw as well as NO2 and NO3 of grain and straw, whereas, the lowest significant ones were obtained when control treatment (without foliar application of organic acids) in both seasons. On the whole, the highest significant values of plant height, tillers No. /m2, 1000 grains weight (g), grain, straw rice yield and N, p & K content of grain and straw as well as NO2 and NO3 of grain and straw were obtained by foliar application of humic and fulvic acids together under anhydrous ammonia fertilizer form. While, the lowest ones were recorded with control (without foliar application of organic acids) under urea fertilizer in both seasons .The highest significant values of NO2 and NO3 in drainage water at 60 days from transplanting were obtained when urea fertilizer was applied compared to anhydrous ammonia form in both seasons. Vice versa, NH4 of soil after harvesting was increased significantly by adding anhydrous ammonia form compared with urea in both seasons. In most cases, the same parameters were increased significantly by foliar spray of both organic acids together, but the lowest ones were achieved by control (without foliar application of organic acid) in both season. On the other hand, such parameters were significantly increased by without foliar application of organic acid with both sources of nitrogen fertilizer. The lowest ones were observed by foliar spray of humic and fulvic acids together with both nitrogen sources in two seasons.Anhydrous ammonia increased gross income, net income, benefit / costs ratio and profitability, The average increasing percentage were 8.52, 21.03, 11.46 and 24.70 % ,respectively, as compared with applying urea in both seasons . humic and fulvic acids together realized the highest average of such parameters by 26.26, 58.51, 25.56 and 57.82, respectively compared to without foliar application of any organic acids in two seasons. Anhydrous ammonia with foliar application of humic and fulvic acids as mixture increased same parameters by 34.49, 85.19, 38.15 and 89.98 % compared with control treatment (without foliar spray) under urea fertilizer.

Researcher Name: Osman E.A.M., A.A.EL-Masry and K.A. Khatab

Newspaper: Advances in Applied Science Research, 2013, 4(4):174-183

Year: 2013

KeyWords: rice, humic and fulvic acids, ammonia, urea, qualitative and quantitative yield