Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #428147
Research Project: Broadening and Strengthening the Genetic Base of Rice for Adaptation to a Changing Climate, Crop Production Systems, and Markets

Location: Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center

Title: Effect of soil amendments on grain yield, yield components, and milling qualities in organic rice production

Author
item LAMICHHANE, SUMAN - Texas A&M University
item MCCLUNG, ANNA - Retired ARS Employee
item DOU, FUGEN - Texas A&M University
item Jia, Yulin

Submitted to: Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2025
Publication Date: 6/13/2025
Citation: Lamichhane, S., McClung, A., Dou, F., Jia, Y. 2025. Effect of soil amendments on grain yield, yield components, and milling qualities in organic rice production. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.70127.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.70127

Interpretive Summary: Nitrogen (N) management is a big challenge to keep a profitable crop yield under an organic rice system. Field trials were conducted in 2010, 2015, and 2017 in Beaumont, Texas to see how different types and rates of organic fertilizers affected grain yield and milling qualities. A 2010 study looked at six organic N fertilizers and found that five of them increased grain yield with higher N supply. Additional field studies in 2015 and 2017 using a selected organic fertilizer, Nature Safe, showed that the grain yield and plant height increased with different nitrogen rates. Also, grain milling quality was significantly improved by using Nature Safe, including whole grain percentage and whole grain yield. Yield plateaus were not observed, even at higher N rates, in any of the three studies, indicating agronomically high N applications are recommended to achieve the yield potential of the rice cultivar.

Technical Abstract: Nitrogen (N) management has been identified as a major challenge for producers to maintain a profitable crop yield under an organic rice (Oryza sativa L.) production system compared to the conventional production system. Field experiments were conducted in 2010, 2015, and 2017 in Beaumont, Texas to evaluate the impact of different types and rates of organic soil amendments on grain yield and milling qualities. A Texas rice variety, Presidio, was arranged in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with three replications in the 2010 study, while another variety, Tesanai-2, was arranged in an RCB design with four replications in the 2015 and 2017 studies. Of the six organic N fertilizers (AgriRecycle, Maxim Compost, Nature Safe, Rhizogen, True, and Top Organic Fertilizer) tested in the 2010 study, five fertilizers showed a linear increase in grain yield with increasing N supply, and two of them, Nature Safe and Rhizogen, demonstrated a numerically higher fold increase in grain yield per unit N application (10- and 7-fold, respectively) compared to other soil amendments. Additional field studies conducted in 2015 and 2017 using a selected organic fertilizer, Nature Safe, showed a significant increase in grain yield (p < 0.001) and plant height (p < 0.001) by the N rates. Similarly, milling quality parameters, including whole grain percentage and whole grain yield, were also significantly enhanced (p < 0.001) by the application of Nature Safe organic fertilizer. Nevertheless, yield plateaus were not observed even at higher N doses in all three studies, indicating that agronomically high N application is recommended to achieve the cultivar yield potential.