NUTRIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE FOR ANIMAL FEED CULTIVATED WITH CONTINUOUS IRRIGATION OF TREATED MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER

Abstract

 Rice for animal feed (cultivar Bekoaoba) was cultivated using a bench-scale apparatus of paddy field with continuous irrigation of treated municipal wastewater, instead of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. The growth of rice plant was comparable to that cultivated with circulated irrigation in our previous study, although more than twice amount of treated wastewater was used. On the other hand, the protein content (up to 13.1%) in the harvested rice was much higher than that in the previous study and the standard expected in normal paddy fields. Such rice with high protein content can be cultivated in a normal paddy field if a large amount of fertilizers is applied. This study revealed that the continuous irrigation of tread wastewater can produce a high quality of rice for animal feed with a satisfactory yield, saving the cost of fertilizer.