Response of grain yield and soil health to the individual application of organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers in the rice-rice cropping systems

Fertilizer application to supply essential plant nutrients is a widely recognized approach to better rice production. Since long-term chemical fertilizer use leads to decreased soil fertility, applying organic fertilizer is irrefutable to maintain soil health. A field experiment was conducted during 2017–2019 at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, aiming to evaluate the suitability of different sources of organic materials and chemical fertilizers for the Boro-Fallow-T. Aman rice cropping pattern. The experiment involved a randomized complete block design with three replications. Five treatments, with organic materials and chemical fertilizers, have been imposed. The treatments are (i) BRRI recommended chemical fertilizer doses, (ii) Kitchen waste @ 6 t ha−1, (iii) Cowdung bio-slurry @ 6 t ha−1, (iv) Poultry manure 6 t ha−1, and (v) control (no nutrient supply). Applying chemical fertilizer, poultry manure, kitchen waste, and cowdung bio-slurry produced the highest plant height, tiller, and panicle number per, spikelet per panicle over control in both season and year. Among organic materials, the poultry manure (6 t ha−1) effect was statistically similar to chemical fertilizer in the case of plant height, tiller, and panicle number. Maximum grain (6.3–4.9 t ha−1) and straw (6.7–4.9 t ha−1) yield were observed in chemical fertilizer and poultry manure-treated plots in both season and year. Chemical fertilizer and all organic materials treated plots produced the maximum grain yield over control in both seasons and years. There was a slight increase in soil organic matter, pH, total N (%), available P, S, and exchangeable K from initial in 2 years. The study’s overall findings indicate that the huge number of organic materials, especially poultry manure, is suitable for sustainable crop yield in a rice-rice cropping pattern.