Effect of Expanded Rice Husk Medium on Rice Seedling for Machine Transplanting

摘要

Rice farmers can save labor and expenses by using expanded rice husk (ERH) as a seedling medium since ERH is lighter and cheaper than other commercial seedling media (CSM). This study was carried out to develop a method for rice seedling cultivation using ERH as a seedling medium. It is suggested that a mixture of 60% of ERH and 40% of a CSM could be used as a seedling medium; the planting densities would be 240 g per tray for infant seedlings and 200 g for young seedlings; and nitrogen (N) would beapplied at a rate of 1 g per tray for infant seedlings prior to planting and 2 g per tray for young seedlings with division. Great care should be taken to use CO(NH_2)_2 as an N-source fertilizer. These results would lay a foundation for the rice seedling cultivation with ERH as a medium.