SITE-SPECIFIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT (SSNM)

Southwestern Bangladesh

Team Leaders

Dr. M. Murshedul Alam

Agronomist

email: malam@irribd.org

Mr. Md. Akhter Hossain Khan

Agronomist

email: brrihq@bdonline.com

Partner Institution

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)

Site Characteristics

SSNM activities were conducted in Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, and Jhenaidah districts in southwestern Bangladesh. These districts belong to Agro-Ecological Zone 11, known as High Ganges River floodplain. Soil types predominantly include calcareous, well-drained dark gray and brown floodplain soils. The annual rainfall in this area is 1200–1400 mm. 

Double rice and rice–wheat are two annual cropping systems commonly practiced in southwestern Bangladesh. The rice-growing seasons are

• Aman: This is the wet season (June/July to November/December) in which rice is usually transplanted and grown under partially irrigated conditions.
• Boro: This is the dry season (December/January to April/May) in which rice is usually transplanted and grown under full irrigated conditions.

Wheat is grown during the dry season.

Development and Evaluation of SSNM

In 2000-02, on-farm experiments involving the use of the leaf color chart (LCC) for managing fertilizer N applications were conducted in farmers’ fields in 16 villages within a radius of 100 km in Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, and Jhenaidah Districts.

Locally Adapted Recommendation

Results from the on-farm evaluation of N management using the LCC were used to formulate locally adapted recommendations for managing fertilizer N. Recommendations for aman and boro rice are available at the links below.

SSNM recommendation for Aman rice

Version 1 [PDF 105kb]

SSNM recommendation for Boro rice

Version 1 [PDF 104kb]

Southwestern Bangladesh, SSNM version 1.0 (www.irri.org/irrc/ssnm)

Site Specific Nutrient Management