BUREAU OF SOILS AND WATER MANAGEMENT

WORKSHOP:
Fertilizer Recommendation
Computation
Vince Albert P. Ching
Agriculturist II
Rapid Soil Test Section
Laboratory Services Division
 Question No. 1
Modifying standard fertilizer recommendations based on soil fertility tests

A soil fertility report for a soil previously used for maize, shows P levels are
medium (22 mg/kg, equivalent to 44 kg/ha for a 20 cm layer) and K is low (0.14
me/100g, equivalent to 110 kg K / 20 cm ha).
Standard recommendation for maize is 250 kg/ha superphosphate and 100 kg/ha
urea. The superphosphate is applied at planting and the urea is applied at 6
weeks after planting.
The K figure in the fertility report is low and K will be needed. The standard
recommendation does not include K so we need to decide on the amount
required. This can be done by looking at the amount removed by a crop of
maize (Table 3) to give us a minimum value; 35 kg/ha for the grain and 140 kg/ha
for the stover. If the stover is dug in or burned most of the K will be released to
the soil for the next crop. However, for this year's crop we need about 180 kg/ha
and with 110 kg present the requirement is for about 70 kg/ha K. For a following
crop of maize the requirement would be closer to 40 - 50 kg K assuming return of
most of the stover K.
 Question No. 1 (cont.)

For P the soil test showed a medium amount of available P and

indicated that P fertiliser may not be needed. It is probably desirable
to maintain the soil P fertility at this level so as to act as a bank for P.
Therefore, the amount expected to be removed by the maize crop
should be added; this would be about 30 kg/ha, which is the grain P
and a portion of the stover P. A problem for the P addition is that the
recommendation states Superphosphate and only Triple
Superphosphate is available.

As soil testing cannot help with N nutrient level it is assumed that the
N recommendation is at the correct level. (This can be checked by
analysing the foliage - ear leaf of plant at early silking stage).
 Question No. 1 (answer)
Requirements are:
Nitrogen The same as the standard recommendation = 100 kg/ha Urea
Phosphorus 30 kg/ha P needed (Triple Superphosphate = 19% P to be used)
Therefore: 30 x 100/19 = 157 kg - say 150 kg/ha TSP
Potassium 70 kg/ha needed (KCl or Muriate of Potash = 52% K is available)
Therefore: 70 x 100/52 = 135 kg - say 150 kg/ha KCl

The overall fertilizer recommendation per hectare for this crop and this field will be therefore:
* 150 kg/ha Triple Superphosphate to be applied at planting
* 150 kg/ha Muriate of Potash to be applied at planting or ½ at planting and the rest with the
Urea at 6 weeks after planting
100 kg Urea at 6 weeks after planting

Where * indicates the changes from the standard recommendation.

 Tables 1: gives the elemental compositions of
straight fertilizers
N-P-K Material Formula N P K Mg Ca S
Rating* % % % % % %

35-0-0 Ammonium Nitrate NH4NO3 35 - - - - -

21-0-0 Ammonium Sulfate (Sulfate (NH4)2SO4 21 - - - - 24
of Ammonia)
21-48-0 Di-ammonium Phosphate (NH4)2HPO4 21 23 - - - -
(DAP)
12-61-0 Mono-ammonium Phosphate NH4H2PO4 12 27 - - - -
(MAP)
0-0-63 Potassium Chloride (Muriate KCl - - 52 - - -
of Potash)
14-0-47 Potassium Nitrate KNO3 14 - 39 - - -
0-0-53 Potassium Sulfate K2SO4 - - 44 - - 18
16-0-0 Sodium Nitrate NaNO3 16 - - - - -
0-20-0 Superphosphate Ca(H2PO4)2+CaSO4 - 9 - - - 12
0-46-0 Triple Superphosphate Ca(H2PO4)2 - 19 - - - -
46-0-0 Urea CO(NH2)2 46 - - - - -
* Based on N - P2O5 - K2O
Table 3. Major nutrients removed by various crops.
Yield Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium
Crop
(T/ha) kg/ha N kg/ha P kg/ha K
Banana 30 60 7 164
Beans 2.4 155 22 100
Cassava - roots 20 125 13 125
Cabbage 70 181 22 141
Citrus 15 100 11 180
Cocoa - beans 1 20 5 12
Maize - grain 8 115 28 35
- stover 6 58 7 140
Peanut 2 100 13 25
Rice - paddy 6 100 22 133
Sugar Cane 100 110 39 282
Sweet Potato - 25 140 15 140
Tuber 15 96 13 120
- vines
Tomato - fruit 75 112 11 202
 Question No. 2
A Farmer submitted 2 composite soil samples (collected from rice area and from vegetable area) in
Pangasinan for a laboratory analysis with fertilizer recommendation for rice (hybrid-wet season),
eggplant and tomatoes.
Result of STK from Sample 1 (rice area) = Low N – Low P – Moderately High K (110-70-30)
Mode of application:
Rice: 1st application: ½ N + Full P and ½ K Fertilizer sources:
2nd application: ¼ N Organic Fertilizer
3rd application: ¼ N + ½ K Complete (14-14-14)
Eggplant: Urea (46-0-0)
1st application: ½ N + Full P and K Diammonium Phosphate ( 21-23-0)
2nd application: ¼ N Muriate of Potash (0-0-60)
3rd application: ¼ N
Tomatoes:
1st application: ½ N + Full P and K
2nd application: ½ N
 Crop: Rice (Hybrid) Fertilizer Requirement
Wet Season N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 15
15 – 15 – 15
40 – 55 – 0 Crop: Rice-Hybrid, Wet Season
50.22 – 55 – 0
-10.22 – 0 – 0 1st application:
10 bags Organic Fertilizer
2.14 or 2 bags/ha 14-14-14
4.78 or 4.75 bags/ha 21-23-0
239.13 kgs x 0.21 = 50.22 N
Second application:
2 application:
nd

0.97 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0

3rd application:
22.39 – 0 – 0
22.39 – 0 – 0 0.97 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
0 – 0 – 0 0.5 bag/ha 0-0-60

Third application:

22.39 – 0 – 15
22.39 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 15
0 – 0 – 15
0 – 0 – 0
 Crop: Eggplant Fertilizer Requirement
N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 30
30 – 30 – 30
25 – 40 – 0 Crop: Eggplant
36.52 – 40 – 0
-11.52 – 0 – 0 1st application:
20 bags Organic Fertilizer
4.29 or 4.25 bags/ha 14-14-14
3.48 or 3.5 bags/ha 21-23-0
173.91 kgs x 0.21 = 36.52 N 2nd application:
Second application:
0.95 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
3 application:
rd
21.74 – 0 – 0
0.95 or 1 bag/ha 46-0-0
21.74 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0

Third application:

21.74 – 0 – 0
21.74 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0
 Crop: Tomato Fertilizer Requirement
N P K
Low Low Moderately High
110 70 30
First application:

55 – 70 – 30
30 – 30 – 30
Crop: Tomato
25 – 40 – 0
36.52 – 40 – 0
-11.52 – 0 – 0 1st application:
20 bags Organic Fertilizer
4.29 or 4.25 bags/ha 14-14-14
3.48 or 3.5 bags/ha 21-23-0
173.91 kgs x 0.21 = 36.52 N 2nd application:
1.89 or 2 bags/ha 46-0-0

Second application:

43.48 – 0 – 0
43.48 – 0 – 0
0 – 0 – 0