Answer For The Workshop On Fertilizer Recommendation Computation

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 10

BUREAU OF SOILS AND WATER MANAGEMENT

WORKSHOP:
Fertilizer Recommendation
Computation
Vince Albert P. Ching
Agriculturist II
Rapid Soil Test Section
Laboratory Services Division
Question No. 1
Modifying standard fertilizer recommendations based on soil fertility tests

A soil fertility report for a soil previously used for maize, shows P levels are
medium (22 mg/kg, equivalent to 44 kg/ha for a 20 cm layer) and K is low (0.14
me/100g, equivalent to 110 kg K / 20 cm ha).
Standard recommendation for maize is 250 kg/ha superphosphate and 100 kg/ha
urea. The superphosphate is applied at planting and the urea is applied at 6
weeks after planting.
The K figure in the fertility report is low and K will be needed. The standard
recommendation does not include K so we need to decide on the amount
required. This can be done by looking at the amount removed by a crop of
maize (Table 3) to give us a minimum value; 35 kg/ha for the grain and 140 kg/ha
for the stover. If the stover is dug in or burned most of the K will be released to
the soil for the next crop. However, for this year's crop we need about 180 kg/ha
and with 110 kg present the requirement is for about 70 kg/ha K. For a following
crop of maize the requirement would be closer to 40 - 50 kg K assuming return of
most of the stover K.
Question No. 1 (cont.)

For P the soil test showed a medium amount of available P and


indicated that P fertiliser may not be needed. It is probably desirable
to maintain the soil P fertility at this level so as to act as a bank for P.
Therefore, the amount expected to be removed by the maize crop
should be added; this would be about 30 kg/ha, which is the grain P
and a portion of the stover P. A problem for the P addition is that the
recommendation states Superphosphate and only Triple
Superphosphate is available.

As soil testing cannot help with N nutrient level it is assumed that the
N recommendation is at the correct level. (This can be checked by
analysing the foliage - ear leaf of plant at early silking stage).
Question No. 1 (answer)
Requirements are:
Nitrogen The same as the standard recommendation = 100 kg/ha Urea
Phosphorus 30 kg/ha P needed (Triple Superphosphate = 19% P to be used)
Therefore: 30 x 100/19 = 157 kg - say 150 kg/ha TSP
Potassium 70 kg/ha needed (KCl or Muriate of Potash = 52% K is available)
Therefore: 70 x 100/52 = 135 kg - say 150 kg/ha KCl

The overall fertilizer recommendation per hectare for this crop and this field will be therefore:
* 150 kg/ha Triple Superphosphate to be applied at planting
* 150 kg/ha Muriate of Potash to be applied at planting or ½ at planting and the rest with the
Urea at 6 weeks after planting
100 kg Urea at 6 weeks after planting

Where * indicates the changes from the standard recommendation.


Tables 1: gives the elemental compositions of
straight fertilizers
N-P-K Material Formula N P K Mg Ca S
Rating* % % % % % %

35-0-0 Ammonium Nitrate NH4NO3 35 - - - - -


21-0-0 Ammonium Sulfate (Sulfate (NH4)2SO4 21 - - - - 24
of Ammonia)
21-48-0 Di-ammonium Phosphate (NH4)2HPO4 21 23 - - - -
(DAP)
12-61-0 Mono-ammonium Phosphate NH4H2PO4 12 27 - - - -
(MAP)
0-0-63 Potassium Chloride (Muriate KCl - - 52 - - -
of Potash)
14-0-47 Potassium Nitrate KNO3 14 - 39 - - -
0-0-53 Potassium Sulfate K2SO4 - - 44 - - 18
16-0-0 Sodium Nitrate NaNO3 16 - - - - -
0-20-0 Superphosphate Ca(H2PO4)2+CaSO4 - 9 - - - 12
0-46-0 Triple Superphosphate Ca(H2PO4)2 - 19 - - - -
46-0-0 Urea CO(NH2)2 46 - - - - -
* Based on N - P2O5 - K2O
Table 3. Major nutrients removed by various crops.
Yield Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium
Crop
(T/ha) kg/ha N kg/ha P kg/ha K
Banana 30 60 7 164
Beans 2.4 155 22 100
Cassava - roots 20 125 13 125
Cabbage 70 181 22 141
Citrus 15 100 11 180
Cocoa - beans 1 20 5 12
Maize - grain 8 115 28 35
- stover 6 58 7 140
Peanut 2 100 13 25
Rice - paddy 6 100 22 133
Sugar Cane 100 110 39 282
Sweet Potato - 25 140 15 140
Tuber 15 96 13 120
- vines
Tomato - fruit 75 112 11 202
Question No. 2
A Farmer submitted 2 composite soil samples (collected from rice area and from vegetable area) in
Pangasinan for a laboratory analysis with fertilizer recommendation for rice (hybrid-wet season),
eggplant and tomatoes.
Result of STK from Sample 1 (rice area) = Low N – Low P – Moderately High K (110-70-30)
Mode of application:
Rice: 1st application: ½ N + Full P and ½ K Fertilizer sources:
2nd application: ¼ N Organic Fertilizer
3rd application: ¼ N + ½ K Complete (14-14-14)
Eggplant: Urea (46-0-0)
1st application: ½ N + Full P and K Diammonium Phosphate ( 21-23-0)
2nd application: ¼ N Muriate of Potash (0-0-60)
3rd application: ¼ N
Tomatoes:
1st application: ½ N + Full P and K
2nd application: ½ N
Crop: Rice (Hybrid) Fertilizer Requirement
Wet Season N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 15
15 – 15 – 15
40 – 55 – 0 Crop: Rice-Hybrid, Wet Season
50.22 – 55 – 0
-10.22 – 0 – 0 1st application:
10 bags Organic Fertilizer
2.14 or 2 bags/ha 14-14-14
4.78 or 4.75 bags/ha 21-23-0
239.13 kgs x 0.21 = 50.22 N
Second application:
2 application:
nd

0.97 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0


3rd application:
22.39 – 0 – 0
22.39 – 0 – 0 0.97 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
0 – 0 – 0 0.5 bag/ha 0-0-60

Third application:

22.39 – 0 – 15
22.39 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 15
0 – 0 – 15
0 – 0 – 0
Crop: Eggplant Fertilizer Requirement
N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 30
30 – 30 – 30
25 – 40 – 0 Crop: Eggplant
36.52 – 40 – 0
-11.52 – 0 – 0 1st application:
20 bags Organic Fertilizer
4.29 or 4.25 bags/ha 14-14-14
3.48 or 3.5 bags/ha 21-23-0
173.91 kgs x 0.21 = 36.52 N 2nd application:
Second application:
0.95 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
3 application:
rd
21.74 – 0 – 0
0.95 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
21.74 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0

Third application:

21.74 – 0 – 0
21.74 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0
Crop: Tomato Fertilizer Requirement
N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 30
30 – 30 – 30
Crop: Tomato
25 – 40 – 0
36.52 – 40 – 0
-11.52 – 0 – 0 1st application:
20 bags Organic Fertilizer
4.29 or 4.25 bags/ha 14-14-14
3.48 or 3.5 bags/ha 21-23-0
173.91 kgs x 0.21 = 36.52 N 2nd application:
1.89 or 2 bags/ha 46-0-0

Second application:

43.48 – 0 – 0
43.48 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0

You might also like