Increasing the Growth and Production of Irrigated Rice Through the Integrated Application of Rice–Duck–Azolla

Abstract

The application of integrated agriculture is an effort to reduce dependence up on agrochemicals and increase the absorption of nutrients, especially nitrogen, to increase plant growth and production. Azolla is an algae that can provide nitrogen for rice, while ducks can increase the availability of N, P, and K, as well as the efficiency of nitrogen use. This research aimed to evaluate the role of ducks and Azolla in increasing the growth and production of rice plants. This research was conducted from October 2018 to February 2019 using an experimental method with a nonfactorial randomized block design. The combinations of nitrogen fertilizers, Azolla, and ducks (K) were as follows: K1 = 115 kg N ha⁻¹, without ducks, without Azolla; K2 = 86 kg N ha⁻¹, without ducks, 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹; K3 = 86 kg N ha⁻¹, 3,000 ducks ha⁻¹, 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹; K4 = 58 kg N ha⁻¹, 3,000 ducks ha⁻¹, 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹; K5 = 29 kg N ha⁻¹, 3,000 ducks ha⁻¹, 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹; and K6 = without N fertilizer, 3,000 ducks ha⁻¹, 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹. The results showed that the application of 58 kg N ha⁻¹, 3,000 ducks ha⁻¹, and 1,000 kg Azolla ha⁻¹ (K4) was able to decrease the N fertilizer application by 50% and increase the rice growth and yield by 12.17% and 20.32%, respectively. Therefore, the integrated application of rice–duck–Azolla would support sustainable agriculture.