Effects of Industrial Organic Fertilisers on the Growth and the Yield of Irrigated Rice on Sandy Loam Soil

Rice has become the main staple food of the Ivorian population, especially in urban areas. However, its production, by soils mineral fertilization in irrigated rice cultivation, remains a concern due to the leaching of fertilizers having harmful effects on the aquatic environment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of industrial organic fertilisers on the growth and yield of irrigated rice on sandy loam soil. The experimental design used was in randomized Fisher blocks, with 3 replicates and 5 treatments, namely control (T), mineral fertilizer (MF) and two organic fertilizers (BioDeposit and Biofertil). MF was applied at dose of 50 kg N, 25 kg P2O5 and 103 kg K2O ha-1. As for BioDeposit, the Agro variant (BdW) was applied to the soil at 1,400 kg ha-1, and the Elixir variant, on the leaves, at 200 L ha-1, in addition to the soil application (BdA). Biofertil was applied at 600 kg ha-1. MF plots had the highest plant height (58.01 cm), number of panicles per plant (13) and paddy rice yield (3.76 t ha-1), with a 54.10% yield increase compared with control plots. The agronomic efficiency of MF was also the highest (3.6), followed by that of BdS (0.06). Those of BdA and Bf were negative. However, the effects of these fertilisers were not significantly different (p > 0.05) between treatments. Considering the performance of MF, which requires strict compliance with application measures, BioDeposit-Agro could be recommended for irrigated rice cultivation on predominantly sandy soils.