Fruit fertilizer - Migoe

This is a top-dressing fertilizer applied after the rice ears emerge in order to improve the rice harvest, and it has the effect of increasing the photosynthetic ability of the leaves and directly increasing the synthesis of starch, the main component of rice. Most of these are fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate and urea, but potash (potassium) is also sometimes used. It is often used in paddy fields with poor soil fertility, such as sandy or gravelly soil, for high-yielding rice, and for late-maturing rice varieties in warm regions such as Kyushu and Shikoku, but the effectiveness of the fertilizer is greatly affected by the quality of the weather during the ripening period, so care must be taken when applying it indiscriminately, as not only will it be ineffective, but it can also reduce the taste and invite the outbreak of disease and pests, resulting in reduced yields.

[Yuki Koyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

稲の実りをよくするために穂の出たあとで施す追肥のことで、葉の光合成能力を高め、米の主成分であるデンプンの合成を直接増やす効果がある。硫安、尿素などの速効性窒素肥料が大部分を占めるが、カリ（カリウム）なども施されることがある。地力の乏しい砂質や礫質(れきしつ)の水田、高収量の稲や九州、四国などの暖地の晩生種の稲でよく用いられるが、登熟期間の天候の良否が実肥の効果を大きく左右するので、むやみに施すと効果がみられないばかりか食味を低下させ病虫害の発生を招き、かえって減収することがあるので注意が必要である。

［小山雄生］

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