Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
A field experiment was made during the rainy season of 1982 and 1983 at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study the relative efficiency of prilled urea, urea supergranules (USG) and USG coated with neem cake and DCD. Prilledurea was applied at 60, 120 and 180 kg N/ha, while the other sources of N were applied only at 120 kg N/ha. Nitrogen was added to rice in a single application 20 days after sowing (20 DAS) or in two applications, half 20 DAS and the rest at panicle initiation. Response of rice to prilled urea was linear up to 180 kg N/ha, the highest dose in the present study. Two applications produced more rough rice and straw and resulted in higher nitrogen uptake and apparent recovery than a singleapplication. Neem-cakecoated USG was superior to prilled urea in respect of panicle characters, rough rice and straw yield, nitrogen uptake and apparent nitrogen recovery. Coating USG with DCD also showed some advantage. Uncoated USG was only slightly better than prilled urea.