A trial in Spain demonstrated that Haifa’s Controlled Release Fertilizer (CRF) offers a preferable alternative to conventional fertilization in rice, not only improving yield but also protecting the environment.
Among all nutrients, nitrogen has the most significant impact on rice production, increasing the percentage of filled spikelets, leaf area, and grain quality. To reach the yield potential of rice, it is recommended to apply 150-180 kg of nitrogen per hectare.
Aragon, Spain, is an important rice-producing region. Unfortunately, many of the rice plots are located in nitrate-vulnerable areas. To prevent nitrogen losses and nitrate leaching, growers have adopted split applications, which involve repeated field operations and additional labor.
To explore better nitrogen management in flooded rice plots, a trial was conducted during the 2023 growing season, comparing conventional nitrogen fertilization with CoteN™ Mix controlled-release nutrition.
Trial details
- Location: Municipality of Sádaba, Spain
- Sowing Date: 19.5.23
- Harvest Date: 23.11.23
Treatments
| Base dressing | Top dressing* | Total N units | ||
Fertilizer | N units | Fertilizer | N units | ||
Conventional | 20-7-7 | 120 | Sulfamid 40% | 40 | 160 |
Haifa’s CRF | CoteN™ Mix | 160 | - | - | 160 |
* Applied at the beginning of tillering
Results and economic analysis
| Grain yield (kg/ha) | NUE | Cost (€/ha) | Net profit |
Conventional | 6,477 | 40.5 | 518.5 | 3,691.55 |
Haifa’s CRF | 7,371 | 46.0 | 535.5 | 4,255.65 |
The CoteN™ Mix treatment resulted in a higher yield using the same nitrogen rate as the conventional treatment. This indicates that CoteN™ Mix improves nitrogen use efficiency, reducing losses and contamination. This, in turn, leads to better yield, higher profit for the grower, and labor savings.
The application cost was not included in the analysis, so the actual advantage of the CoteN™ Mix treatment is likely even greater!
