Effect of Agronomic iron biofortification through integrated nutrient management on soil physico-chemical properties of transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of agronomic iron biofortification through
integrated nutrient management on soil physico-chemical properties of transplanted rice (Oryza sativa
L.) grown on sandy loam soils of Uttar Pradesh at Agronomy Farm, College of Agriculture, Acharya
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology during two consecutive kharif seasons of 2024
& 2025. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with twelve treatments and replicated
thrice. The results revealed that, combined application of FYM @ 3 tonnes ha-1, 0.5 % foliar spray of
FeSO4, 0.5 % foliar spray of Fe-EDTA, seedling dip with iron solubilizing bacteria @ 1 gm L-1 of water
for 30 minutes along with 100 % RDF (T12) has significant improvement in organic carbon content of
the soil of transplanted rice. The study revealed that agronomic iron biofortification through integrated
nutrient management practices have improved the nutrient status of the soil.