Uptake of 15N by wetland rice in response to application of 15N-labelled Sesbania rostrata and urea

 Pot experiments were carried out to evaluate the response of rice to Sesbania rostrata green manure N as compared to urea fertilizer N under flooded conditions. After growing S. rostrata for 21 days with a ¹⁵N-labelled N source, the labelled Sesbania was applied to wetland rice as a green manure and the uptake of ¹⁵N from this substrate was compared to that from labelled urea. Rice was cultivated twice in the same pots. The rice was grown for a period of 49 days in each case, separated by a period of 21 days when the soil was allowed to dry. The ¹⁵N content of the soil and shoots and roots of rice was determined and ¹⁵N balances established. The total N content of the shoots and roots of rice was determined by a non-tracer method. The percentage recovery of ¹⁵N from shoot material which was derived from urea N was more than twice that from S. rostrata. The recovery of ¹⁵N from the pots receiving both green manure and urea was low, and not significantly different from that recovered from the green manure treatment. As much as 64.5–73.5% and 40.1–41% of the ¹⁵N remained in the soil which had received green manure or urea, respectively. The overall recoveries of ¹⁵N varied between 86.5% and 94.4%. At the second harvest, the oven-dry weight of shoots was significantly (P<0.05) higher in green-manure treated pots, but the total N content did not differ significantly. Labelled N remaining in the soil after amendment with the green manure was much more available to the rice crop than that remaining after the addition of urea-N. The total recovery of labelled N (shoots plus roots) amounted to 65.5% and 74%, respectively of the residual labelled N in the two S. rostrata treatments (i.e. 19.55 mg ¹⁵N pot^–1 and 39.10 mg ¹⁵N pot^–1) and 23.2% and 23.2% of the residual labelled N in the two urea treatments (i.e. 19.55 mg ¹⁵N pot and 39.10 mg ¹⁵N pot^–1), respectively. Received: 8 December 1997