Optimizing fertilizer recommendations for rainfed rice grown in coarse-texture soil of South Odisha

Kharif rice is a major crop in South Odisha, characterized by coarse-textured, nutrient-deficient soils. Balanced fertilizer applications are essential to enhance yield and nutrient use efficiency in this region. Given high soil responsiveness to fertilizers, revising the current fertilizer recommendations is critical to achieving sustainable yield improvements aligned with national productivity standards. Therefore, the present study was carried out at the Post Graduate Research Farm, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Odisha, during the kharif 2024. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications and nine treatments, ranging from 0% to 200% of the recommended fertilizer dose (RDF) in incremental steps of 25%, with corresponding NPK levels. Half of the nitrogen and all phosphorus and potassium were applied as basal, with the remaining nitrogen split between 30 and 49 DAT. Data were recorded at 30, 60, 90 DAT and harvest. Grain, straw, and post-harvest soil samples were collected for laboratory analysis. The result revealed that the application of 150% RDF recorded the highest grain yield (5.6 t/ha), grain nutrient content (N-1.21%, P-0.30%, K-1.55%), grain nutrient uptake (N: 68.3, P: 16.9, and K: 87.1 kg/ha), nutrient balance, nutrient use efficiency like agronomic efficiency (N-23.6, P-47.2 and K-47.2 kg/kg) and apparent recovery efficiency (N-61.4, P-41.2 and K-311.2 kg/kg), offers a more productive and profitable alternative option to the current 100% RDF recommendation, supporting sustainable agriculture for farmers in Gajapati district.