ABSTRACT
The average productivity of lowland rice in Seluma Regency has only reached 3.5 t/ha, which is still low compared to the average rice productivity at the Bengkulu Province level, which has reached 4.5 t/ha. The low productivity of rice is caused by farming management that is not optimal; the type and dose of fertilizer given are not balanced, is still general and is not based on soil nutrient status. To overcome this problem, efforts need to be made to improve technical cultivation through the application of location-specific types and doses of fertilizers based on the nutrient status of field soil. This research aims to develop recommendations for fertilizing lowland rice based on nutrient status in the South Seluma District. The nutrient status of paddy field soil was obtained from 7 land units obtained from previous research. Nutrient status is categorized into three classes, namely low, medium, and high; nutrient status P and K refer to Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 13 in 2022. Furthermore, the preparation of recommended dosages refers to the reference for determining recommendations for N, P and K fertilizers based on Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 13 of 2022 and Paddy Soil Test Kit Version 1.2. Fertilization recommendations based on soil nutrient status were analyzed descriptively to describe recommendations based on 7 land units. The research results showed that the pH status on the 7 land units was slightly acidic to acidic, the N nutrient status was predominantly moderate, the P nutrient status was all low, and the K status was very low-high. Recommendations for N fertilizer doses for target yields of 5–6 t/ha at medium-very high nutrient status in the form of Urea (200–250 kg ha−1), P fertilizer doses in the form of SP-36 (100 kg ha−1), and fertilizer doses K in the form of KCl for very low nutrient status (100–150 kg ha−1), medium-high nutrient status (50 kg ha−1).
