What’s the Real Score on Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers for Rice?
Myth No. 4. Organic fertilizers improve the soil physical properties of irrigated lowland ricefields. Dr. Mamaril said that in irrigated lowland ricefields, soil organic matter plays a minimal role in soil structure and water holding capacity. This is because “the soil structure is destroyed through puddling during land preparation. The water holding capacity is also of no coTmquence because the soil is flooded.” Myth No. 5. Soil organic matter could be built up in a short period of two seasons by applying few bags of organic fertilizer, say as much as 8 bags per hectare. The truth is that the amount of soil organic matter accumulated by commercial organic fertilizers is lower than what many advocates of organic farming claim, according to Dr. Mamaril. Myth No. 6. Inorganic fertilizers make the soil acidic. “Chemical fertilizers, when applied in flooded soils, do not make the soil acidic,” Dr. Mamaril said. He cited the results of Dr. Felix Ponnamperuma, a retired soil scientist from I
Related Questions
- Is it safe to say that using organic fertilizers and other organic farming practices are better for the soil and less of a threat to ground and surface water than conventional methods?
- WHAT ARE AGROCHEMICALS AND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORGANIC AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS?
- What’s the Real Score on Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers for Rice?
