Nutrient Management

Key Check 5:
Sufficient nutrients
from tillering to early
panicle initiation and
flowering
Part 1: Understanding the PalayCheck System
Nutrient facts
 Nutrients are what plants need to
grow and become productive.
 Proper nutrient management
improves crop growth and yield.
 Rice plants grow and respond
better to fertilizer when there is
more sunlight.
 Of all nutrient elements, rice
plants need more of the following
macronutrients: N, P, K, Zn, S
Why do rice plants need fertilizers?
Nutrient inputs as fertilizers fill
the gap between crop need and
Climate indigenous supply.

N-P-K

Organic fert

Crop residues
Inorganic
Soil fertilizer
Irrigation water

Indigenous
nutrient supply
Sufficient nutrients from
tillering to early panicle initiation (EPI) and flowering
ensures good and uniform growth,
panicle development, and
attainment of yield potential

nutrients are
needed to
produce many
more
tillers, panicles
panicles, increased and filled
more yield from for uniform
grains
grains many tillers maturity
and panicles
 Assessment of Key Check 5
Applied N fertilizer at
tillering to EPI and
flowering if leaf color
chart (LCC) reading
is below 4 for
transplanted and
below 3 for direct
wet-seeded rice.

urea urea urea

WS = 1 bag/ha DS = 1.5 bag/ha

 Assessment of Key Check 5

For transplanted rice

Achieved at least 300 panicles/m2
at flowering stage.

Randomly select 10 hills in a

diagonal line across the field and
count the panicles. Compute the
number of panicles/m2.

Total number of panicles

Panicles/m2 = x Number of hills/m 2

10 hills
 Assessment of Key Check 5
For direct wet-seeded rice
Achieved at least 350 panicles/m2 at
flowering stage.

Use a 0.5 m x 0.5 m quadrat (0.25 m2).

Randomly select 3 sampling sites at least 1 m
from the levee and in a diagonal line across the
field. Count the panicles from each quadrat and
get the average. Compute for the number of
panicles/m2 .

Ave. number of panicles

No. of panicles/m2 =
0.25 m2 hills
HOW TO ACHIEVE
Key Check 5?
 HOW TO ACHIEVE
KEY CHECK 5?
Know and manage the nutrient requirement of your
crop based on the available information and
nutrient assessment and decision-support tools.

Leaf Color Chart

Minus-One Element
Technique Nutrient Omission Plot
 Minus-One Element Technique
A pot experiment to determine the
nutrients deficient in the soil.

Leaf Color Chart

A tool to visually assess the nitrogen
status of rice crops.

Nutrient Omission Plot

A means to assess indigenous nutrient
supply to serve as basis of fertilizer
recommendation.
Nutrient Manager for Rice

a computer-based
decision tool
software providing
field-specific nutrient
management
guidelines for rice
Consider this!
Aside from nutrient deficiency, consider
mineral toxicity in deciding on the nutrients
to apply.
Toxicity can occur when
minerals exist in a form that
becomes harmful to plants.

Worms (parasites) live in

every person’s intestines,
no matter how clean and
healthy a person is.
IRON TOXICITY
Iron is naturally present in the soil and plants need iron.
But iron can be harmful in permanently-flooded fields.

tiny brown spots on

the lower leaves
starting from the tip
or orange-yellow to
brown leaves
IRRI

WHAT TO DO? Use intermittent irrigation and avoid

continuous flooding in poorly-drained soils, balance fertilizers
and perform dry tillage after harvest to increase iron oxidation
during the fallow period.
 HOW TO ACHIEVE
KEY CHECK 5?
Know and manage the nutrient requirement of your
crop based on the available information, nutrient
assessment and decision-support tools.

Knowing right kind, amount, and

timing of fertilizer application.
The right KAT!
 Right KAT!
Right kind
• giving the right nutrients increases cost
efficiency and attainment of yield target

Right amount
• too much nutrients may increase pest
damage
• lack of nutrients may lead to slower growth
of seedlings, fewer number of tillers, and
lighter grain weight

Right timing
• wrong timing of fertilizer application
increases input cost and decreases
efficiency in nutrient uptake
NITROGEN
Deficiency symptoms:
Stunted, yellowish
plants. Older leaves or
whole plants are
yellowish green.
 NITROGEN
Kind
Nitrogen (N) promotes
rapid growth for:
•increased plant height
and number of tillers
•increased leaf size
•spikelet number per
panicle
•percentage filled
spikelets in each panicle
•grain protein content
 NITROGEN
Amount
Too much N particularly between panicle initiation and
flowering makes the plant prone to lodging and pests.

Excessive N application is costly.

Use results of LCC and Nutrient Manager as basis in

properly determining the amount of N to apply.
 NITROGEN
Timing
Use the LCC every 7 days from 14 DAT or 21 DAS until
early flowering. If 14-14-14-12S is applied at 14 DAT or
21 DAS, LCC reading starts at 21 DAT or 28 DAS.

Determine right time of N application by using LCC. If

more than 5 out of 10 leaves are below 4, apply 1.5
bags urea or 3.5 bags 21-0-0-24S during WS.

(Use ammonium sulfate instead of

urea if plant shows sulfur
deficiency or if sulfur-containing
fertilizer is not used.)
 Timing
NITROGEN
(Basal)

Organic
PHOSPHORUS
Deficiency symptoms:
Stunted dark green
plants with narrow,
short, very erect leaves
and greatly reduced
tillering.
 PHOSPHORUS
Kind
Phosphorus (P)
promotes tillering, root
development, early
flowering, and ripening.
Lack in phosphorus
causes thin stems and
retarded development.
The number of leaves,
panicles, and grains per
panicle are also reduced.
 PHOSPHORUS
Amount
Use results of MOET test and Nutrient Manager as
basis in properly determining the amount of P to apply.
 Timing
PHOSPHORUS
(Basal)
Organic
POTASSIUM
Deficiency symptoms:
Dark green plants with
yellowish brown leaf
margins or dark brown
necrotic spots first
appear on the tip of
older leaves.
 POTASSIUM
Kind
Potassium (K) improves root
growth and plant vigor and helps
prevent lodging. It also enhances
crop resistance to pests and
diseases.
K deficiency is often not detected
because its symptoms do not
appear until the later growth stages
and are not as easy to recognize
as that of N deficiency.
 POTASSIUM
Amount
Use results of MOET test and Nutrient Manager as
basis in properly determining the amount of K to apply.
 Timing
POTASSIUM
(Basal)
Organic fert
ZINC
Deficiency
symptoms: Dusty
brown spots on upper
leaves of stunted
plants appearing 2-4
weeks after
transplanting
 ZINC
Kind
Zinc (Zn) promotes good seedling and overall growth
of plants.

Zn deficiency problem
must be corrected to
attain high yields. In Zn-
deficient soils, NPK
fertilizers alone cannot
provide good yield
unless Zn deficiency is
corrected.
 ZINC
Amount
Apply 25 kg zinc sulfate per ha at 14 DAT once
a year during DS.

Use results of MOET test and Nutrient

Manager as basis in properly determining the
amount of Zn to apply.
 Timing
ZINC
14 DAT
ZnSO4
Organic
SULFUR
Deficiency symptoms:
yellowing of young
leaves, reduced no. of
tillers, fewer and
shorter panicles,
reduced no. of spikelets
per panicle, and
delayed maturity
 SULFUR
Kind

Sulfur (S)
promotes uniform
growth and
maturity.
 SULFUR
Amount
The amount of sulfur in 14-14-14-12S (12% sulfur) as
recommended to treat P and K deficiencies is adequate
to correct usual sulfur deficiency.

Use results of MOET test and

Nutrient Manager as basis in
properly determining the amount
of S to apply.
 SULFUR
Timing

Use 14-14-14-12S as basal or

topdress 21-0-0-25S
(ammonium sulfate) instead of
urea.

Use 3.5 bags ammonium

sulfate/ha in the dry season
and 2 bags ammonium
sulfate/ha in the wet season.
 Timing
SULFUR

Organic
In summary…

Know the right KIND of nutrients

K your plant needs. Use nutrient
assessment and decision-support
tools to guide you in determining
the right fertilizer to use.

Know the right AMOUNT

A of fertilizer to apply. Too
much or too little is not
good.

Know the right TIMING of

T fertilizer application to
increase efficiency in input
cost and nutrient uptake.
INPUTS
• Right kind of fertilizer used
• Right amount of fertilizer applied
• Right timing of fertilizer application

OUTPUTS
• Sufficient nutrients during tillering
to early panicle initiation and
flowering

OUTCOME
• Good yield
 Let’s review!
Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Zinc Sulfur
 Matching game

N def Fe toxicity

S def
Zn def

P def K def

N def P def K def S def Zn def Fe toxicity

Nutrient Management
Key Check 5:
Sufficient nutrients
from tillering to early
panicle initiation and
flowering
CREDITS
Instructional presentation designer:
Ms. Ev Parac

Sources of technical content/reviewers of presentation:

Mr. Wilfredo Collado; Mr. Efren Laureles, IRRI;
Mrs. Constancia Mangao and Mrs. Pelagia Orpia, BSWM

Note:
Adapted from powerpoint presentations developed by:
Ms. Evelyn F. Javier, Mr. Salvador Yabes; Engr. Eugenio
Castro, IRRI; Dr. Manny Regalado

You may use, remix, tweak, For more information, visit:

& build upon this presentation
non-commercially. However, always
use with acknowledgment.

Unless otherwise stated, the names

listed are PhilRice staffers.

Produced in 2011. Text: 0920-911-1398