How to Fertilize Rice for High Yields? A Full Analysis of the Key Techniques

Rice is one of the main food crops in China. Besides being eaten, it can also be used to make wine, sugar, and more. Rice can be divided into indica and japonica rice, early rice and mid-to-late rice, and glutinous and non-glutinous rice, and it is grown all over the world. To achieve high yields, it needs additional fertilizer. So how should rice be fertilized to achieve high yields?

I. Principles of Rice Fertilization

1. Implement balanced fertilization. According to the nutrient requirements of each crop, the soil nutrient supply status, and the fertilizer effect, determine the corresponding fertilizer amount and application method. Follow the principles of combining organic fertilizer with inorganic fertilizer and combining base fertilizer with topdressing to achieve balanced fertilization.

2. Implement harmless treatment of organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer produced and used by farmers themselves must be decomposed and fermented, undergo harmless treatment, and kill pathogenic microorganisms, insect eggs, and weed seeds. It is forbidden to use industrial waste, municipal garbage and sludge, and farmyard manure that does not meet harmless treatment standards.

3. Implement compounding and specialization of inorganic fertilizers. The types of fertilizer selected should conform to the fertilizer varieties and quality requirements stipulated in fertilizer quality standards, and organic-inorganic compound fertilizers and compound fertilizers specialized for various crops should be selected as much as possible.

II. Key Technical Points of Rice Fertilization

1. Fertilize according to the weather

Based on weather forecasts and actual temperature changes, see whether the total accumulated temperature for the year is high or low. If the accumulated temperature is insufficient, the number of transplanted seedlings should be appropriately increased and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer reduced. Do not seek high yield; seek stable yield. This year, spring and summer temperatures are low, and fertilizer effects respond slowly, so tillering fertilizer should be applied appropriately earlier. You also cannot increase the amount of nitrogen fertilizer just because the temperature is low and growth is slow, as this can easily cause the rice to stay green and mature late!

2. Fertilize according to the soil 

For sloping land, sandy soil, old rice fields, and some plots with poor soil fertility, the amount of fertilizer applied should be appropriately increased. Conversely, for low-lying land, clay soil, newly converted dryland paddy fields, and plots with continuous straw return and fertile soil, the amount of fertilizer applied should be appropriately reduced.

3. Fertilize according to water conditions

For sloping land prone to drought and water shortage and leaky fields, more fertilizer should be applied accordingly, and the number of fertilizer applications should be increased, using a fertilization method of small amounts and frequent applications. For low-lying land that is not short of water, the amount of fertilizer applied can be appropriately reduced.

4. Fertilize according to variety

For long-grain rice varieties that lodge easily, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied should be appropriately reduced. For round-grain lodging-resistant varieties, the amount of fertilizer applied should be correspondingly increased. For long-grain varieties, glutinous rice, and black rice, not only should the amount of nitrogen fertilizer be reduced, but the amount of potassium fertilizer should also be increased.

5. Fertilize according to cultivation method 

Because rice transplanting densities differ, the amount of fertilizer applied must also be adjusted accordingly. If the number of transplanted seedlings per unit area is large, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be appropriately reduced. If the number of transplanted seedlings per unit area is small, tillering fertilizer should appropriately increase the amount of nitrogen fertilizer earlier, and the amounts of zinc fertilizer and potassium fertilizer should also be increased.

6. Fertilize according to leaf age indicators

Based on the variety's leaf length, color, and tiller number, see whether the rice is short of fertilizer. If, for rice with 11 leaves, during the 7-leaf growth period, the color is pale, growth and tillering are not vigorous, and the number of effective tillers is insufficient, then consider applying additional regulating fertilizer, or appropriately increasing the amount of ear fertilizer in advance.