Nitrogen Slow-Release Zeolite-Based Fertilizer on Rice Plants at Inceptisol Soil

Most of N fertilizer have low efficiency in paddy field due to it is easily lost through evaporation and runoff. Slow-release N fertilizer based on zeolite is potential N fertilizer in paddy field to to improve the efficiency of N fertilizer. Slow release N fertilizer based on zeolite is also potential to improve the growth and production of rice. This study aimed to determine the effect of slow-release fertilizer on the growth and production of rice plants on inceptisols and knowing the best dosage for rice plants in the inceptisols. This study used a Completely Randomized Block Design (RAKL) with 2 treatment factors and 3 replications. The first factor is the application of N fertilizers, namely original N fertilizer, 1% coating slow-release N fertilizer, and 3% coating slow-release N fertilizer. The second factor is the dose of N fertilizer namely 0 kg/ha (N0), 100 kg/ha (N1), and 200 kg/ha (N2). The research variables are leaf area, leaf area index, number of tillers, number of productive tillers, the greenness of leaves, density and width of stomatal openings, plant dry weight, net assimilation rate, plant growth rate, relative growth rate, nitrogen uptake, panicle length, number of grains per malai, moisture content of the harvested grain, grain weight of 1000 seeds, the weight of grain in clumps, grain weight per hectare, and agronomic efficiency. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and if it is significantly different, then further tested using DMRT at a 5% level. The results showed that slow-release N fertilizer improves plant growth and production components better than original N fertilizer. Provision of slow release zeolite-based fertilizers coating 3% with a dose of N 200 kg/ha gives the best results for plant growth and production.