Pilot St
Pilot Studies on Rice Yield Enhancement with Foliar
Application of SBAJA in Sungai Besar, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Izzat Shafiee a, Amru
Nasrulhaq Boycea, Mohammad Moneruzzaman Khandakera,
Johari M. Saadb, Tengku Abdul Aziz , Muhammad Shakirin Mispana,
Mohd Suffian Mohd Anuara and Baki Hj Bakara
aInstitute of Biological Sciences, University of
Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
b iRX Sdn Bhd, 10 Jalan Nilam 1/1, Subang Hi-Tech,
47500, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract: Fertilizer
application and inherent soil fertility are known to affect rice yields. We
conducted large scale 12 ha multi-locations trial in the main- and off-seasons
of 2007 through 2009 in Sungai Besar, Selangor’s North West Project, Malaysia
to assess the enhancing effect of SBAJATM (formerly known as
BIPOMIXTM) on the growth and yields of rice (Oryza sativa L.
var. MR 220). The clonal growth of SBAJATM -treated rice crop
based on plant height and tiller numbers plant-1, albeit temporal
inconsistencies, did not register any significant difference from each other at p<0.05,
save for those in the control plots at 45, 75 DAT, and at harvest with
measurably lower tiller numbers plant-1. The mean panicle length
plant-1 and mean number of panicles m-2 were
significantly (p<0.05) longer and higher, respectively in plots
treated with SBAJATM vis-à-vis the control. While
no significant differences were recorded in the 1000 grain weight, the
percentage of filled grains panicle-1 and the number of grains
panicle-1 were higher among rice plants in plots receiving the
SBAJATM treatments. Invariably, the Crop Cutting Tests (CCT) in
plots subjected to foliar applications of SBAJATM registered
measurable increase in rice yields from 15 to 29% vis-à-vis the
equivalent foliar-applied fertilizer subsidy from the government, and the
conventional NPK fertilizer applications of 100:30:20 (here served as the
control), respectively. The SBAJATM treated plots registered a
mean yield of 9.66 tons ha-1compared with 7.49 tons ha-1 in
the control plots. The parallel average yield from the equivalent
foliar-applied fertilizer subsidy from the government was 8.38 tons ha-1.
In monetary terms, a yield increase of 1 ton ha-1 is translated
as an extra net profit of RM 1,000 ha-1 season-1.
With the application of SBAJATM a farmer would boost his gross
returns by a minimal extra of ca. RM 2,000 ha-1 season-1 from
an extra investment of ca. RM200 ha-1 season-1 compared
with the control.
[Shafiee MI, Boyce AN, Khandaker MM,
Saad JM, Aziz TA, Mispan MS, Anuar MSM
and Bakar BH. Pilot Studies on Rice.Yield
Enhancement with Foliar Application of SBAJA in Sungai Besar, Selangor,
Malaysia.Life Sci J 2013;10 (1):329-335] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 54
Keywords: SBAJATM, foliar fertilizer, rice
growth and yields, Full Text 54
