Comparative efficacy of various brands of urea fertilizer on the growth and yield of IR72 lowland rice variety

Abstract

The study was conducted at Central Philippine Uni¬versity campus farm from October 18, 1989 to February 5, 1990. This was done to verify the claim of farmers that the effectivity of urea varies with the brand and to compare the efficacy of various brands of urea fertilizer on IR72 growth and yield.

In the study, eight treatments, corresponding to the seven urea brands and a control to which no nitrogen was applied were tested. The control treatment served as a basis for comparison. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications.

Results of the study revealed that the urea- fertilized IR72 were superior than those where no nitrogen was applied in both agronomic characteristics and yield performance. These affirm that nitrogen, which is con¬tained in urea, has a vital role in the growth and yield of rice. All data gathered from the urea-treated plants showed no significant mean differences. This implies that different urea brands have relatively the same effect on rice. These findings virtually disprove the claim that the efficacy of urea varies with the brand.

With bias towards none, it is recommended that farmers buy the brand which they deem best. The avail¬ ability and price of the fertilizer should be considered so that farmers will not be misled by advertisements.