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Rice

Combining Field and Simulation Studies to Improve Fertilizer Recommendations for Irrigated Rice in Burkina Faso

^a Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), 04 BP 8645, Ouagadougou 04, Burkina Faso
^b West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), BP 96 St. Louis, Senegal (current address: International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines)
^c An International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC)–Africa Division, BP 4483, Lomé, Togo
^d Université de Ouagadougou (UO), 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso

^* Corresponding author (zacharie.segda{at}messrs.gov.bf)

Received for publication November 14, 2004. Development of improved fertilizer recommendations entirely based on field experiments is time-consuming and costly. We employed a combination of two simulation models and selected field data to develop alternative fertilizer recommendations (AFR) for irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Bagré, Burkina Faso. Existing fertilizer recommendations are 82 kg N ha^–1 (wet season) or 105 kg N ha^–1 (dry season), 31 kg P ha^–1, and 30 kg K ha^–1. The model RIDEV was used to improve timing of sowing date to avoid cold-induced sterility and timing of N fertilizer applications. The model FERRIZ was used to determine AFR, based on estimations of indigenous nutrient supply for N, P, and K; yield potential (Y_pot); internal N, P, and K efficiency of rice; fertilizer N, P, and K recovery fractions; and fertilizer and rice prices. Simulations suggested decreasing P and K doses to 21 kg P ha^–1 and 20 kg K ha^–1 but increasing the N dose to 116 kg N ha^–1 in the wet season (Y_pot = 8 t ha^–1) and to 139 kg N ha^–1 in the dry season (Y_pot = 9 t ha^–1). Alternative fertilizer recommendations keep the P balance neutral, but a negative K balance was tolerated based on the high soil K supply. Compared with existing recommendations, yield gains of up to 0.5 t ha^–1 were simulated at equal costs. These yield gains were more than confirmed in farmers' fields during four consecutive growing seasons. Alternative fertilizer recommendations increased gross returns above fertilizer costs by an average of about US$ 160 per season compared with both farmers' practice and existing recommendations.

Abbreviations: AFR, alternative fertilizer recommendations • DS, dry season • EFR, existing fertilizer recommendations • FP, farmers' practice in terms of fertilizer use • IKS, indigenous soil potassium supply • INS, indigenous soil nitrogen supply • IPS, indigenous soil phosphorus supply • IS, indigenous soil nutrient supply • RF, recovery fraction of applied fertilizer nutrients • TFC, total fertilizer cost • WS, wet season • Y_pot, yield potential