01
Side-band beside the roots
The applicator drills granules into the soil beside each row; on the Kaohsiung station’s improved machine about 95% reached 8–10 cm depth.
Graphene-coated controlled release
One-Pass Fertilizing at Transplanting: Side-Band Placement with Controlled Release
A fertilizer applicator on the rice transplanter places granules in the soil beside each row as it plants, and a coated controlled-release fertilizer releases nutrients through the season, so most topdressing is done in one pass. In mechanised deep-placement trials by Taiwan’s Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, this used about 30% less nitrogen and 2–3 fewer applications than hand broadcasting. Hepule S (NPK 30-10-10, Taiwan import registration 0955040) is designed for transplanter side-band placement.
- MethodFertilize while transplanting
- Station trial~30% less N
- Topdressing2–3 fewer passes
- ProductHepule S
The Challenge
Four headaches with topdressing
Rice needs several topdressings a season, each needing labour and the right weather.
No labour to topdress on time
Most of the fertilizer goes on at transplanting, cutting later topdressings.
Broadcast fertilizer is lost with field water
Granules sit in the soil next to the roots, where they are less exposed to runoff and volatilisation.
A big dose of quick-release fertilizer burns seedlings
Coated controlled release meters nutrients out so root-zone concentration does not spike.
Granules break and clog the applicator
Use even, dry, non-caking granules; Hepule S granules are fully coated and resist breaking and clogging.
How It Works
Why one pass can work
Two things make it work: putting fertilizer in the right place (in the soil beside the roots) and matching release to when rice takes up nutrients.
02
Coating controls release
The coating controls how fast water enters and nutrients leave, avoiding an early surge that burns seedlings.
03
One application, several stages
Nutrients release gradually with soil moisture and temperature, reducing topdressing at tillering.
04
Check mid-season
Check leaf colour and tillers mid-season; top up lightly only if leaves are clearly pale, and add no nitrogen if they are dark.
The Program
Products and rates
Start from Taiwan’s Crop Fertilization Manual: about 110–140 kg N/ha for the first japonica crop in central, southern and eastern Taiwan and 90–120 kg N/ha for the second. Nitrogen needed ÷ nitrogen percentage = kilograms of fertilizer.
Where It Fits
Where it fits
- Crop
- Machine-transplanted rice
- Fields
- Level fields with a puddled layer firm enough for the transplanter and applicator to run steadily
- Equipment
- Ride-on transplanter with a fertilizer applicator, calibrated to the product before use
- Not suited
- When a crop is visibly short of nutrients and needs them now, controlled release is too slow — use a quick-acting fertilizer; hand-broadcast or seedling-throwing fields cannot be side-banded.
- Registration
- Hepule-S (NPK 30-10-10), Taiwan fertilizer import (compound) registration No. 0955040
- References
- Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station: Improvement and demonstration of a rice transplanter with deep fertilizer placement.Agriculture and Food Agency (MOA): Crop Fertilization Manual, 2024 edition.
FAQ
FAQ
A large dose of quick-release high-nitrogen fertilizer next to the roots can. Coated controlled-release fertilizer at recommended rates lowers the risk.
In Kaohsiung station trials, mechanised deep placement used about 30% less nitrogen and 2–3 fewer applications than hand broadcasting; actual savings depend on the field and season.
Much less, but check leaf colour and tillers mid-season; top up lightly only if leaves are clearly pale or tillers are short, and add no nitrogen if leaves are dark.
Even, dry, non-caking granules that will not clog the applicator; for a full-season single application, a coated controlled-release fertilizer.
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