What Is Balanced Fertilization for Rice, and How Do You Follow It?
Balanced fertilization means giving rice the nutrients it lacks in the right amount, proportion and timing. It uses organic and inorganic fertilizer together. The DA adopted it in 1997, and the Abonong Swak plans put it into practice for palay. Get a soil reading first, set a yield target, then split nitrogen by growth stage. In anee.io, a farm app built for Filipino farmers, the Protocol Builder holds that plan and the NPK Plus calculator checks it.
Many farmers hear balanced fertilization and think of a special product. It is not one. It is a way of feeding the crop. Find out what the soil lacks, fill only that gap, and keep the soil alive with organic matter.
Here is how it works, the plans and tools behind it, and how to use it on your own farm.
- It is organic plus inorganic. Organic matter builds the soil, while the bags feed this season's crop.
- The DA adopted it in 1997, and in 2020 told its offices to adopt Adaptive Balanced Fertilization Management for rice farmers.
- The Abonong Swak plans turn it into three combos for 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 7 to 8 tons per hectare.
- Start with a soil reading from MOET, a soil test kit or a soils laboratory.
- Split nitrogen by growth stage, and read the leaf color chart between doses.
What is balanced fertilization?
The Balanced Fertilization Strategy means giving plant nutrients in the best amounts and the right proportion. They go on by the right method, at the time that suits the crop and the local climate. The Bureau of Soils and Water Management, or BSWM, adopted it in 1997 through Presidential Proclamation No. 1071. It is nutrient management fitted to each site, which researchers see as the key to using fertilizer well.
In 2020, DA Memorandum Circular No. 20 told all DA offices to adopt Adaptive Balanced Fertilization Management for rice farmers, with BSWM as the technical lead. It joins rice straw and inorganic fertilizer in the proper amounts and timing. It also asks for legumes or other short crops after rice, and for watching leaf color, weeds, roots and yield.
Why mix organic and inorganic fertilizer?
Organic fertilizer has a long term benefit because it improves soil fertility. So think of straw, compost and manure as fertilizer for soil, and of the bags as food for this season's crop.
The straw alone is worth a lot. Straw from a 5 ton harvest, worked back into the field, gives about 30 kg of nitrogen as it decomposes. That equals 1.3 bags of urea you do not have to buy.
What is the usual plan for palay?
For palay, use the Abonong Swak plans, short for Swak sa budget, swak sa palay. There are three combos, one for each yield target. Each joins rice straw and 10 bags of organic fertilizer with a few bags of inorganic fertilizer. This can save farmers PHP 2,000 to 4,000.
| Target yield | Organic part | Inorganic bags |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 4 tons | 3 to 4 tons of rice straw, 10 bags of organic fertilizer | 1 bag 14 14 14, 1 bag urea, half a bag 0 0 60 |
| 5 to 6 tons | 5 to 6 tons of rice straw, 10 bags of organic fertilizer, 1 to 2 kg zinc sulfate in the seedbed | 2 bags 14 14 14 or 16 20 0, 2 bags urea, half a bag 0 0 60 |
| 7 to 8 tons | 7 to 8 tons of rice straw, 10 bags of organic fertilizer, 1 to 2 kg zinc sulfate in the seedbed | 2 bags 14 14 14, 4 bags urea, half a bag 0 0 60 |
The days for each dose follow the maturity of your variety. Our guide to fertilizer for rice lists them for 100 to 130 day varieties, and bags of fertilizer per hectare prices each combo. To see what ratio of nutrients these bags make, read the NPK ratio for rice.
Which tools give a recommendation for my own field?
A general plan is only a start. Choose the right element, amount and timing with care. That means watching the crop and using diagnostic tools. These are the ones you can reach in the Philippines.
| Tool | What it tells you | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| MOET kit and app | Which nutrients your soil lacks, from rice grown in pots of your own soil, and how much fertilizer a target yield needs | Ask your municipal agriculturist or the nearest PhilRice station |
| Soil test kit or laboratory | Nutrient levels and a fertilizer recommendation for your crop | Soil test kits through your Municipal Agriculture Office, BSWM soil laboratories and its Mobile Soil Laboratory |
| Leaf color chart or LCC app | When the crop needs nitrogen, from the color of its leaves | A four color ruler, or a phone app that reads leaf photos |
| Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service | Nutrient and crop management advice for your field | Ask your agriculturist or extension worker |
BSWM also trains farmers on soil sampling and its FertRight mobile app. Its Mobile Soil Laboratory is part of the DA National Soil Health Program. It tests soil for up to 44 parameters and gives fertilizer recommendations to farmers in the towns it visits.
How do I follow balanced fertilization on my farm?
Balanced fertilization changes fertilizer application for rice in three ways: you test first, you add organic matter, and you split the nitrogen. Here is the order.
Get a soil reading
Use a MOET kit, a soil test kit or a laboratory test. Do it before land preparation, so the results come in time to buy.
Set a yield target you can reach
Pick the Abonong Swak combo that matches your best recent harvest on that field. Aim lower for wet season or rainfed fields.
Put the organic part in first
Work the rice straw back into the soil. Then apply the 10 bags of organic fertilizer at 14 days after transplanting.
Give phosphorus and the first potassium at basal
Apply them at 0 to 14 days after transplanting. For direct wet seeded rice, it is 7 to 10 days after sowing.
Split nitrogen by stage
Give only 30 percent of the total nitrogen in the first dose. Top dress the rest at tillering and near panicle initiation, or when the leaf color chart calls for it.
Watch, record and adjust
Note leaf color, weeds, roots and yield. Then change next season's plan from real numbers.
Top dress at a water depth of 2 to 5 cm, and after 3 PM, to cut nitrogen losses. At basal, mix granular fertilizer into the soil for the same reason. Our guide to fertilizer timing by growth stage shows when each dose is due.
How does anee.io help with balanced fertilization?
anee.io does not replace MOET or a soil test. What it does is hold the plan you make from those results. In the Protocol Builder, write each dose on its day after transplanting or sowing. That covers the organic part, the basal and every nitrogen split. Keep one version for the wet season and one for the dry.
The NPK Plus calculator adds up the nutrients in your mix, micronutrients included. It shows what is short or too much. Anee, the smart farm technician inside anee.io, can then review the protocol, using credits. She flags a rate that looks too high or a stage with nothing planned. After harvest, write your yield in Observations, so next season's target comes from real numbers.
Build the organic and inorganic doses into a protocol, then turn it into a dated cropping calendar when you plant.
See the Protocol Builder
