Effect of Polymer Coated and Ordinary Urea Fertilizer on Nitrogen Efficiency and Rice Yield and Its Components

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients in crop production, but its efficiency in urea fertilizer is low, especially in paddy fields. Nitrogen yield can be increased by reducing the dissolution of urea in the soil. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of polymer-coated urea fertilizer on growth and yield of rice cv.Tarom Hashemi. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in two locations. Experimental treatments included T0: control, T1: two splits of ordinary urea (OU), T2: coated urea (CU), T3: OU (30%)+CU (70%)(use after transplanting) and T4: OU (30%)+CU (70%). CU was used at the time of transplanting and OU at heading. The results showed that the location effect was significant only on tiller number and head number/heap. However, the type of urea fertilizer and application method significantly affected tiller number, head number, plant height, grain number, straw yield, grain yield, Harvest Index, and N recovery. Average of the maximum numbers of tillers (24.5) and heads (20.33) in T3 treatment in the two sites showed, respectively, 52% and 47.5% increase compared to the control treatment. Average grain yields in T3 treatment in the two fields were 43.1%, 17%, 18.1%, and 18.1% higher than, respectively, the control treatments, T1, T2, and T4. For Tarom Hashemi cultivar, while application of polymer CU mixed with OU was effective in increasing nitrogen recycling and reducing its losses in both places, the effectiveness of this treatment in the field with loamy sand soil was more. Therefore, this can be the most appropriate method of fertilizer application in these soils.