Km. Marr et al., The effect of nitrogen fertiliser on yield, nitrogen and mineral elements in Australian brown rice, AUST J EX A, 39(7), 1999, pp. 873-880
The average yield of rice crops grown by the 2300 producers in southern Aus
tralia has ranged from 6.5 to 9.4 t/ha over the last 5 years. Average yield
s in the northern Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area have exceeded 10 t/ha in sev
eral of these years with individual producers attaining yields greater than
12 t/ha. Further increases in yield are expected with new genotypes, such
as Namaga released in 1997. These high yielding crops require access to lar
ge amounts of nitrogen (and other elements) from the soil and fertilisers.
Inputs of other nutrients are relatively minor and limited to phosphorus (P
), sulfur (S) and zinc (Zn).
In the current study, we evaluate the relations between yield increase due
to nitrogen (N) fertiliser applications, and the rate of removal of element
s by medium and long-grain genotypes. Some significant differences were fou
nd between genotypes in the concentration and accumulation of some minerals
. In the 1993-94 experiment, the long-grain genotype Langi yielded higher a
nd had higher mineral concentrations than Pelde, the lower-yielding genotyp
e it replaced. However, no consistent relationships emerged between genotyp
e, yield and mineral concentration or accumulation. Nitrogen applications c
aused significant increases in yield, grain nitrogen and some mineral conce
ntrations. In the 1992-93 and 1993-94 experiments, 125 kg and 100 kg nitrog
en fertiliser increased yield by 63% and 71% (from 6.8 to 11.1 t/ha and fro
m 5.9 to 10.1 t/ha), respectively. The same N application rates increased t
he nitrogen concentration in the grain from 12.9 g/kg to 14.5 g/kg in 1992-
93, and from 11.4 g/kg to 12.6 g/kg in 1993-94. Grain S was significantly i
ncreased in 1992-93 from 1.04 to 1.21 g/kg, and from 0.82 to 0.94 g/kg in 1
993-94. The concentrations of grain Mn also increased significantly with N
application in the 1993-94 season. Total accumulation of all minerals (exce
pt B and Na in 1992-1993 and Cu in 1993-1994) increased with N application.
Yield increase, driven by N fertiliser, was the major influence on increas
ed export of N, S, P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn and Zn from the soil.