Accessibility of plants to nutrient depends largely on the ease of contact between the soil and the crop. An experiment on the forms of urea fertilizer and time of application effects on the growth and yield of lowland rice (Oriza sativa) was carried out during 2013 rainy season at the National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) Moor Plantation, Ibadan. Urea fertilizer in granule and spray were applied at 2 weeks after transplanting (WAT) and 4 weeks after transplanting in 2 x 2 factorial experiments in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) while no fertilizer served as control. Data taken include number of leaves, number of tillers, and days to fifty percent (50%) panicle initiation, number of productive tillers and weight of seed (g/plant). The result showed that leaf production and tillering was best encouraged on fertilized plots than the untreated plants. Fertilizer granule at 2 WAT significantly initiated panicle development faster than other treatments, significantly had more productive tillers/plant and seed yield (22.5 g/plant) than other treatments. Consequently, application of urea fertilizer in granule form at 2weeks after transplanting, tend to reduce nitrogen lost to denitrification in waterlogged soil and make more nutrient available for growth, will be most suitable for lowland rice production under similar soil condition.
Keywords: Denitrification, Fertilizer, Granule, Rice, Spray
