Impact of Precision Nutrient Management on Rice Growth and Productivity in Southern Odisha

Background: Despite the emergence of numerous smart tools in recent times, a significant research gap still exists in identifying the most effective smart tool that optimally synchronizes fertilizer application with crop requirements, thereby promoting crop growth and productivity in accordance with the principles of SSNM. Methods: The present investigation took place at the PG Experimental Farm, MSSSoA, CUTM, Odisha, during the boro season of 2021-22.The experiment followed a randomized block design, with eleven treatments that were replicated three times. The investigated treatments included the following: T1-absolute control (no fertilizer), T2-75% of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), T3-100% RDF, T4-125% RDF, T5-75% RDF followed by a spray of nano urea at a rate of 2ml/L during panicle initiation, T6-100% RDF followed by a spray of nano urea at a rate of 2ml/L during panicle initiation, T7- leaf colour chart (LCC) 3 based nitrogen management,, T8-LCC 4 based nitrogen management, T9- Sufficiency Index (SI)-based nitrogen management at SI less than 90%, T10- Nutrient expert (NE)-based nutrient recommendation, and T11- Rice crop manager (RCM)-based nutrient recommendation. Result: The study found that implementing nitrogen management based on site-specific information, using a total of 150 kg of nitrogen per hectare applied in four separate applications (at the basal stage, 28 days after transplanting, 42 days after transplanting, and 63 days after transplanting), along with consistent levels of phosphorus and potassium, led to a 16.68% increase in grain yield and a 13.17% increase in biological yield for rice. This approach outperformed the traditional method of applying 100% recommended dose of fertilizer with 120 kg of nitrogen at fixed time intervals (basal, active tillering, and panicle initiation).