CONTROLLED-RELEASE UREA FOR RICE PRODUCTION AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

Controlled-release urea (CRU) and its placement method in rice production were investigated during 2007 and 2008 seasons. Controlled-release urea was applied at 62.5, 125, and 187.5kg nitrogen (N) ha1, and the urea was 187.5kg N ha1. All the CRU treatments were applied to the nursery beds once, and they were brought into the paddy field during transplanting, while the urea treatment was split into three applications from the plowing to the harvest. The results showed that rice seedlings with CRUs germinated and grow well and there was no salt damage at the nursery stage. The CRU treatment with 125kg N ha1 had 33% less N than urea treatment (187.50kg N ha1), but it produced significantly higher grain and straw yields, higher total N uptake and total apparent N uptake efficiency. In addition, all the CRU treatments effectively decreased floodwater ammonium (NH4 +)-N and nitrate (NO3 )-N concentrations, pH, and N runoff.