How to Fertilize When Planting Lettuce

Lettuce is a major variety of vegetables grown in plain areas. Vegetable farmers are accustomed to attaching great importance to the extensive use of nitrogen fertilizer and ignoring the functions of organic fertilizers, potassium fertilizers, and medium and trace elements. This leads to the waste of fertilizer input and low production-to-input benefits. In order to verify the reasonable fertilization amount and formula for lettuce cultivation, Hubei Yishizhuang Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. carried out demonstration and comparative explorations in 2017.

I. Demonstration Design and Results

The demonstration field was selected in the vegetable field of Luo Jianghong in Suhe Village, Baling Town, Dangyang City. 100 kg of 40% potassium sulfate special fertilizer (16-8-16) of "Yishizhuang" was applied per mu, and 80 kg of 6% bio-bacterial organic fertilizer was applied in combination. For conventional fertilization, 80 kg of 51% Stanley fertilizer (17-17-17) was used per mu, and 150 kg of ammonium bicarbonate (17) was applied in combination.

The variety is Qishan Xianghong Lettuce, which is supplied by Shengqi Vegetable Seed Sales Co., Ltd. in Sichuan Province. The fertilizers are applied in the furrow at one time to make ridges and cover with films. The seedlings in the comparative field were transplanted on September 20th, with a row spacing and plant spacing of 0.27m×0.27m, and about 9,000 plants were planted per mu. Other cultivation and management measures are the same. The harvest was carried out on December 24th, and the real-time selling price was 1.60 yuan/kg. The analysis of input, output and benefits is shown in the following table.

II. Demonstration Analysis and Discussion

The demonstration results show that:

First, the reasonable reduction of chemical fertilizers can increase production and efficiency. Compared with the conventional fertilization of farmers, the demonstration of lettuce reduces the application of pure nutrients per mu by 23.9 kg, and the fertilizer saving reaches 34.7%. Instead, the production and income increase by 24.7%. The reason is that the application of nitrogen fertilizer in conventional fertilization by farmers is significantly excessive, and the application of phosphorus is also on the high side. The growth in the field demonstration is significantly better than that of conventional fertilization (the excessive application of nitrogen causes more than 20% of the seedlings to be burned and plants to be missing). This shows that reducing about 20 kg of nitrogen and about 5 kg of phosphorus per mu can ensure the vigorous growth of lettuce, and the additional nutrients do not play a role.

Second, the reduction of chemical fertilizers should not be carried out blindly. According to the fertilizer requirements of vegetables, reducing the amount of random excessive input, the redundant amount of the reasonable formula of special fertilizers, and the amount that can be converted and utilized from biological organic or organic fertilizers in the soil can promote the balance of soil nutrients, reduce fertilizer waste, and increase the production and income of farmers.

Third, the basis for the significant increase in production with the same value of fertilizer input. With the same fertilizer input of 400.00 yuan, the production increases by 24.7%, which proves that bio-bacteria and organic matter play an important role in the reuse of soil nutrients. The reasonable formula of special fertilizers is the key, and the addition of medium and trace elements to fertilizers has an obvious effect.

Fourth, attention should be paid to demonstration and guidance. It is very difficult to change the fertilization habits of farmers, and it takes a long process for them to accept new things. Only by the drive of demonstration households, the promotion of large-scale farmers, and the impetus of professional cooperatives can the traditional habits be gradually changed to achieve a win-win situation for enterprises and farmers.

III. How to Fertilize Lettuce?

According to the results of the lettuce fertilization demonstration in Suhe Village, Dangyang City, combined with the fertilizer requirements of lettuce, in accordance with the characteristics of the "Yishizhuang" series of special fertilizers for vegetables, and referring to the fertilization experience of farmers, the following fertilization suggestions are put forward:

① 50-80 kg of 6% bio-bacterial organic fertilizer + 90-100 kg of 40% potassium sulfate (16-8-16);

② 50-80 kg of 6% bio-bacterial organic fertilizer + 100-110 kg of 35% vegetable fertilizer (15-8-12);

③ 150 kg of 30% (15-6-9:15) organic-inorganic vegetable fertilizer.