FERTILIZERS with high nitrogen content combined with phosphorous will help benefit Dabawenyo farmers in increasing their yield.
Atlas Fertilizer Corporation sales representative Kervin Paragili said crop-specific fertilizers like Urea Superphosphate will aid farmers shift from the use of conventional fertilizers to a crop-specific kind.
“Lahi-lahi man gud ang need sa kada crop. Though magamit man gihapon siya generally as fertilizer, mas makita jud ang iyang pagka-effective pag crop-specific ang paggamit sa fertilizer (Each crop has different needs. Though you can still use it generally as a fertilizer, one can really see its effectivity once used as a crop-specific fertilizer),” Paragili said on Friday, October 12, 2018 during the International Banana Congress Exposition at SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang.
Paragili said with the correct use and proper education on the kind of fertilizer the farmers are using, this will help improve their yield.
“Sa una man gud general lang ang mga fertilizer ang ginagamit, pero sa amoang research sa Atlas team namo nakita nga naa diay mga chemical components nga makatabang pa sa pagdako sa mga crops sa farmers labi na sa rice (Before, they only use the general kind of fertilizers. But based on our research at Atlas, we saw that there are chemical components which can help in growing farmers’ crops especially rice),” Paragili said.
He added that their research in finding better and improved crop-specific fertilizers is also a collaborative effort with the government’s research team.
“Bale nagabuhat pud og research ang government like Department of Agriculture (DA) arun mas mastudyhan pa kung unsa pay angay idungag nga maayong components para sa pagdako sa rice (The government though DA also conducted their own research in order to study the components needed for growing rice),” Paragili said.
Urea Superphosphate is not only best for rice but can also be used for corn and sugarcane. The high nitrogen content in this fertilizer is necessary for crop growth. The amount of phosphorous content is also beneficial for root development. The calcium will improve stalk strength and resistance to disease and lodging. It also contains sulfur to prevent yellowing of young leaves.
For rice, it is recommended to use two to three bags of Urea Superphosphate per hectare (ha). For sugarcane it is suggested to use six bags while two to three bags of urea-based fertilizer must be used for hybrid corn variety.
Urea superphosphate is composed of 20-percent nitrogen, 10-percent phosphorous, 5-percent calcium, and 10-percent sulfur.