Journal of Environmental Biology

Enhanced productivity and nitrogen use efficiency in rice and

maize with variable-grade urea polyacrylamide fertilizer

in Indo-Gangetic plains, UP, India

J. Suman^1,2* and A. Rakshit¹*     

¹Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, India

²School of Agricultural Sciences, Anurag University, Hyderabad-500 088, India

Received: 03 October 2024                   Revised: 21 December 2024                   Accepted: 02 April 2025

*Corresponding Author Email : jsuman@bhu.ac.in                     *ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1039-566X

Abstract

Aim: To assess the effects of various grades of ureapolyacrylamide (UPAM), applied at various phenological growth stages and frequencies, on the growth, yield, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (N-UE) of maize and rice.

Methodology: Ureapolyacrylamide is a polymerized blend of polyacrylamide and urea. This process results in four UPAM grades, each with specific carbon (C) and N concentrations: UPAM-1 (C-35.35%, N-32.35%), UPAM-2 (27.67, 39.40%), UPAM-3 (25.11, 41.61%), and UPAM-4 (23.83, 42.71%). A field experiment was conducted on Inceptisol soil in a Randomized Block Design having three replications and ten treatments,including absolute control, split application of various grades of UPAM and NCU applied at different crop stages, by following recommended doses (RDF @ 120:60:60 of N: P₂O₅: K2O).

Results: The results demonstrated that UPAM-2 significantly enhanced both economic and biological yield and N-UE. In maize, two splits of UPAM-2 were most effective, while three splits optimized results in rice. It can be seen that the UPAM-2 grade is an alternative to traditional N fertilizers regarding matching a synergy between crop requirement and availability throughout the growth period.

Interpretation: UPAM-2 consistently outperformed other grades and NCU, making it the most efficient choice for increasing N-UE.

Key words: Environmental footprint, Indo-gangetic plains, Nitrogen use efficiency, Ureapolyacrylamide

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