LSU AgCenter researchers are always trying to improve how rice farmers grow their crops. Through new and developing techniques, producers can speed up their harvest time, decrease their resource use and cultivate a more sustainable farm.

One method AgCenter researcher Manoch Kongchum has been studying is the use of starter nitrogen (N) in delayed flood rice production systems. Starter N fertilizer refers to the process of applying N fertilizer at planting or at early growth stage, or two-leaf, before the application of main N fertilizer, which is mainly applied before paddy is flooded at four-to-five-leaf stage.

The experiments were done to determine if adding this starter fertilizer would be an effective way to increase crop yield and potentially reduce fertilizer costs by avoiding the midseason fertilizer application. The tests also determined how much starter N, what kind of N fertilizer and when is the best time of application to achieve the best results.

Kongchum’s tests are ongoing and will continue to be studied over the next year.

“We found the results as expected in the first year, but you know sometimes one year later the results would not be the same. You have to do more research trials because of several factors that we cannot control, for example, the weather in the South. Some years we encounter severe weather like too cold, too wet or too dry during the planting time. A lot of things can happen,” Kongchum said.

The application of starter N could be very useful to deal with these kinds of unpredictable weather conditions. The starter N would stimulate the plant growth at early growth stage to reach four-to-five-leaf stage, which is an indicator for main N fertilizer application and flooding.

This project will be developed further by Kongchum and his team by adding different variables that could make the process even more efficient and profitable.