The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of micronutrient application on irrigated rice in an area previously leveled. The experiment was carried out during three years on a Albalqualf soil in which the soil surface layer of about 30cm had been removed. NPK fertilization was applied according to soil analysis. The experiment design was a randomized block with four replications. The "complete" treatment had the micronutrients boron (H3BO3), copper (CuSO4), iron (FeSO4), manganese (MnCl2), molybdenum (Na2MoO4) and zinc (ZnSO4) and treatments in which each one of the micronutrients was omitted besides a check without micronutrients. In the 1996/97 growing season the following rates were applied as leaf spraying at tillering and begining of flowering differentiation stage: Zn 70g ha-1, Mn 70g ha-1, Fe 40g ha-1, B 50g ha-1, Cu 12,5g ha-1 and Mo 4g ha-1. In the 1997/98 growing season the same solutions were used but only at tillering. In 1998/99 the micronutrients doses were altered to Zn 35g ha-1, Mn 35g ha-1, B 100g ha-1, Cu 20g ha-1 and Mo12g ha-1 at tillering growth stage and Fe no longer was used. Soil leveling decreased soil organic matter, macro and micronutrients except boron and increased aluminum levels in the soil. It was observed that leaf spraying application of micronutrients on leaves did not affect seed yield in any of the years in which the experiments were conducted
lowland; Oryza sativa; fertilizer
