The comparative effects of ammonium nitrate,urea or a combined ammonium nitrate/urea granular fertilizer on the efficiency of nitrogen recovery by perennial ryegrass

The comparative effects of ammonium nitrate (AN), urea or a combined 1:1 (w/w) AN/urea granular fertilizer with two different fillers (CaCO₃ or silica) were investigated on the efficiency of dry matter production and¹⁵N recovery by perennial ryegrass grown in pots under controlled environmental conditions.There was no significant difference between CaCO₃ and silica as the filler and therefore no indication that the presence of CaCO₃ in the pellet enhanced N loss from urea. Ammonium nitrate was the most efficient N source and urea the least efficient in terms of all the parameters studied. The¹⁵N budget in shoots, roots and soil indicated that only 60% of the nitrogen from urea was recovered at the end of the experiment compared with 95% for AN. However, the % recovery of¹⁵N from urea was increased by 17% in the presence of AN whereas the % recovery of AN was decreased by 19% in the presence of urea. The combined 1:1 (w/w) AN/urea source therefore gave intermediate yields between AN and urea alone. The results indicate that an interaction occurred between AN and urea in the granule.     

An assessment of granular urea/ammonium sulphate and urea/potassium nitrate fertilizers on nitrogen recovery by ryegrass

The comparative effects of ammonium sulphate (AS), potassium nitrate (KNO₃), urea (U) or combined 1:1 (w/w) U/KNO₃, U/AS granular products were investigated on dry matter (DM) yield and¹⁵N utilisation by perennial ryegrass grown under controlled environmental conditions.The DM yield and apparent N recovery with the single N sources was in the order KNO₃ > AS > U. The¹⁵N budget in shoots, roots and soil indicated that only 55% of the urea N was recovered at the end of the experiment compared with 87% and 86% for AS and KNO₃ respectively. The DM yield and apparent N recovery from the combined U/AS source was significantly higher than would be expected (P < 0.01) based on the proportions of each N source in the mixture. Differentially labelling the U and AS with¹⁵N indicated that AS enhanced the shoot % utilisation of urea by 38% (P < 0.001) whereas urea reduced the shoot % utilisation of AS by 14% (P < 0.01). These results indicate that an interaction occurred between U and AS when combined in a 1:1 (w/w) ratio in the same pellet.     

Fate of nitrogen applied in different fertilizers to the surface of a calcareous soil in Syria

¹⁵N-labelled ammonium sulphate or¹⁵N-labelled urea were each applied in solutionat a rate of 30 kg N ha^-1 to the surface of 20soil cores (52 mm internal diameter × 100 mm deep)located on a field experiment at the ICARDA station,Tel Hadya, Syria. Recovery of ¹⁵N-label in theammonium, nitrate, organic and/or urea-N pools in thesoil was measured on days 0, 1, 2, 5 and 13 afterapplication. Total recovery of ¹⁵N was initially100%, but by day 13 after application it had declinedto 51% with urea and 73% with ammonium sulphate.Ammonium nitrate labelled either as ammonium or asnitrate was also applied to the soil surface of 8other cores at the same time. ¹⁵N recovery in thefour soil N pools was measured only on day 12 afterapplication. Total recovery of ¹⁵N-label was 75%with labelled ammonium and 57% with labelled nitrate.Volatilization of ammonia from this calcareous soil(pH 8.1) is one probable mechanism of N loss fromammonium and urea fertilizers: with nitrate bothleaching beyond the base of the core (i.e. 100 mm) and denitrification were responsible for Nlosses. These large losses of N immediately afterapplication have implications for fertilizermanagement practices.     

Fate of Fertilizer15N applied as urea and ammonium sulphate in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) grown under greenhouse conditions

Laboratory incubation and greenhouse experiments were conducted to investigate the comparative effectiveness of urea and ammonium sulphate in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) using¹⁵N dilution techniques. Fertilizer treatments were control (no N), 600 mg N pot^–1 and 1200 mg N pot^–1 (12 kg oven dry soil) applied as aqueous solution of urea or ammonium sulphate. Fertilizer rates, under laboratory incubation study were similar to that under greenhouse conditions. A fertilizer¹⁵N balance sheet reveals that N recovery by plants was 28–39% with urea and 35–45% with ammonium sulphate. Total recovery of¹⁵N in soil-plant system was 77–82% in urea. The corresponding estimates for ammonium sulphate were 89–91%. Consequently the unaccounted fertilizer N was higher under urea (18–23%) as compared to that in ammonium sulphate (9–11%). The soil pH increased from 8.2 to 9.4 with urea whereas in ammonium sulphate treated soil pH decreased to 7.3 during 30 days after fertilizer application. The rate of NH₃ volatilization, measured under laboratory conditions, was higher with urea as compared to the same level of ammonium sulphate. The changes in pH of soil followed the identical trend both under laboratory and greenhouse conditions.     

Efficiency of urea and ammonium sulfate for wetland rice grown on an acid sulfate soil as affected by rate and time of application

A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to assess the effect of rate and time of N application on yield and N uptake of wetland rice grown on a Rangsit acid sulfate soil (Sulfic Tropaquepts). Response of rice at N rates of 800, 1600 and 2400 mg N/pot (5 kg of soil) was compared between urea and ammonium sulfate when applied at two times: (i) full-rate basal at transplanting and (ii) one half at transplanting and one half at the PI stage. In addition, labelled¹⁵N sources were applied either at transplanting or at the PI stage to determine the nitrogen balance sheet in the soil/plant system.No significant difference in grain and straw yields between urea and ammonium sulfate at low rate was observed. At the higher N rates, urea produced higher yields than did ammonium sulfate regardless of timing. The highest yields were obtained when urea at the high N rate was applied either in a single dose or a split dose while lowest yields were observed particularly when ammonium sulfate at the same rate was applied. Split application of N fertilizer was shown to be no better than a single basal application. The occurrence of nutritional disorder, a symptom likely reflected by high concentration of Fe (II) in combination with soluble Al, was induced with high rate of ammonium sulfate.In terms of fertilizer N recovery by using¹⁵N-labelling, ammonium sulfate was more efficient than urea when both were applied at transplanting. In contrast, application at the PI stage resulted in higher utilization of urea than of ammonium sulfate. The recovery of labelled N in the soil was higher with urea than with ammonium sulfate when the two sources were applied at transplanting, while the opposite result was obtained when the same fertilizers were applied at the PI stage. The losses from urea and ammonium sulfate were not different when these fertilizers were applied at transplanting but loss from urea was higher than that from ammonium sulfate when both were applied at the PI stage.     

Fate of fertilizer nitrogen applied to wheat under simulated mediterranean environmental conditions

Triticum aestivumThe fate of fertilizer nitrogen applied to dryland wheat was studied in the greenhouse under simulated Mediterranian-type climatic conditions. Wheat, L., was grown in 76-cm-deep pots, each containing 50–70 kg of soil, and subjected to different watering regimes. Two calcareous clay soils were used in the experiments, Uvalde clay (Aridic Calciustoll) and Vernon clay (Typic Ustochrept). Fertilizer nitrogen balance studies were conducted using various¹⁵N-labeled nitrogen sources, including ammonium nitrate, urea, and urea amended with urea phosphate, phenyl phosphorodiamidate (a urease inhibitor), and dicyandiamide (a nitrification inhibitor). Wheat yields were most significantly affected by available water. With additional water during the growing period, the recovery of fertilizer nitrogen by wheat increased and the fraction of fertilizer nitrogen remaining in the soil decreased. In the driest regimes, from 40 to 65% of the fertilizer nitrogen remained in the soils. In most experiments the gaseous loss of fertilizer nitrogen, as estimated from unaccounted for¹⁵N, was not significantly affected by water regime. The¹⁵N not accounted for in the plant and the soil at harvest ranged from 12 to 25% for ammonium nitrate and from 12 to 38% for regular urea. Direct measurement of labeled ammonia loss from soil indicated that ammonia volatilization probably was the main N loss mechanism. Low unaccounted-for¹⁵N from nitrate-labeled ammonium nitrate, 4 to 10%, indicated that N losses due to denitrification, gaseous loss from plants, or shedding of anthers and pollen were small or negligible. Amendment of urea with urea phosphate to form a 36% N and 7.3% P product was ineffective in reducing N loss. Dicyandiamide did not reduce N loss from urea presumably because N was not leached from the sealed pots and denitrification was insignificant. Amendment of urea with 2% phenyl phosphorodiamidate reduced N loss significantly. However, band placement of urea at as 2-cm soil depth was more effective in reducing N loss than was amendment of broadcast urea with phenyl phosphorodiamidate.     

Influence of source, time and method of application, and simulated rainfall on recovery of nitrogen fertilizers applied to bromegrass

Four field experiments were conducted in central Alberta to determine influence of the N source, time and method of application and simulated rainfall on the recovery of¹⁵N-labelled fertilizers applied to meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem and Shultz. cv. Regar) in plants (topgrowth plus roots) and in soil. The first experiment compared two N sources (urea and ammonium nitrate (A.N.)) and six times of application (early fall, late fall, early winter, early spring, late spring and spring-summer split) where N fertilizers were surface-broadcast. Urea gave lower N recovery than A.N., regardless of time of application (on the average by 16.4% in plants and by 18.3% in plants plus soil). For urea, early spring application gave higher N recovery than the other times of application, especially at the Eckville site. For A.N., spring applications gave higher N recovery than fall or early winter applications but N recovery was only slightly greater with early spring than late spring application. The second experiment evaluated methods of N placement (surface-broadcasting and banding). The N recovery in plants increased with subsurface band placement over surface-broadcast by 20.2% for fall application and by 15.5% for spring application. The other two experiments investigated the effect of amount (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mm) of simulated rainfall and interval (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 d) between surface urea application and simulated rainfall on N recovery. Simulated rainfall of 10 mm immediately after surface urea application on moist soil increased the N recovery in plants by 8.1–10.7% compared to no simulated rainfall. Delaying simulated rainfall (20 mm) by 4 d after surface urea application decreased the N recovery in plants by 8.7–15.2%. In conclusion, the N recovery improved greatly when urea was placed below the soil surface or with simulated rainfall immediately after surface urea application.     

A microplot study of the fate of15N-labelled ammonium nitrate and urea applied at two rates to ryegrass in spring

Confined microplots were used to study the fate of¹⁵N-labelled ammonium nitrate and urea when applied to ryegrass in spring at 3 lowland sites (S1, S2 and S3). Urea and differentially and doubly labelled ammonium nitrate were applied at 50 and 100 kg N ha^–1. The % utilization of the¹⁵N-labelled fertilizer was measured in 3 cuts of herbage and in soil to a depth of 15 cm (soil_0–15).Over all rates, forms and sites, the % utilization values for cuts 1, 2, 3 and soil_0–15 were 52.4, 5.3, 2.4 and 16.0% respectively. The % utilization of¹⁵N in herbage varied little as the rate of application increased but the % utilization in the soil_0–15 decreased as the rate of application increased. The total % utilization values in herbage plus soil_0–15 indicated that losses of N increased from 12 to 25 kg N ha^–1 as the rate of N application was increased from 50 to 100 kg N ha^–1.The total % utilization values in herbage plus soil_0–15 over both rates of fertilizer N application were 84.1, 80.8 and 81.0% for urea compared with 74.9, 72.5 and 74.4% for all ammonium nitrate forms at S1, S2 and S3 respectively. Within ammonium nitrate forms, the total % utilization values in herbage plus soil_0–15 over both rates and all sites were 76.7, 69.4 and 75.7% for¹⁵NH₄NO₃, NH₄ ¹⁵NO₃ and¹⁵NH₄ ¹⁵NO₃ respectively. The utilization of the nitrate moiety of ammonium nitrate was lower than the utilization of the ammonium moiety.The distribution of labelled fertilizer between herbage and soil_0–15 varied with soil type. As the total utilization of labelled fertilizer was similar at all sites the cumulative losses due to denitrification and downward movement appeared to account for approximately equal amounts of N at each site.     

Fate and efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers applied to wetland rice. II. Punjab,India

Two modified urea products (urea supergranules [USG] and sulfur-coated urea [SCU]) were compared with conventional urea and ammonium sulfate as sources of nitrogen (N), applied at 58 kg N ha^–1 and 116 kg N ha^–1, for lowland rice grown in an alkaline soil of low organic matter and light texture (Typic Ustipsamment) having a water percolation rate of 109 mm day^–1. The SCU and USG were applied at transplanting, and the whole dose of nitrogen was¹⁵N-labeled; the SCU was prepared in the laboratory and was not completely representative of commercial SCU. The SCU was broadcast and incorporated, whereas the USG was point-placed at a depth of 7–8 cm. The urea and ammonium sulfate applications were split: two-thirds was broadcast and incorporated at transplanting, and one-third was broadcast at panicle initiation. All fertilizers except the last one-third of the urea and ammonium sulfate were labeled with¹⁵N so that a fertilizer-N balance at flowering and maturity stages of the crop could be constructed and the magnitude of N loss assessed.At all harvests and N rates, rice recovered more¹⁵N from SCU than from the other sources. At maturity, the crop recovered 38 to 42% of the¹⁵N from SCU and only 23 to 31% of the¹⁵N from the conventional fertilizers, urea and ammonium sulfate, whose recovery rates were not significantly different. In contrast, less than 9% of the USG-N was utilized. Fertilizer nitrogen uptake was directly related to the yield response from the different sources. Most of the fertilizer N was taken up by the time the plants were flowering although recovery did increase up to maturity in some treatments.Analysis of the soil plus roots revealed that less than 1% of the added¹⁵N was in the mineral form. Between 20 and 30% of the¹⁵N applied as urea, SCU, and ammonium sulfate was recovered in the soil plus roots, mainly in the 0–15 cm soil layer. Only 16% of the¹⁵N applied as USG was recovered in the soil, and this¹⁵N was distributed throughout the soil profile to a depth of 70 cm, which was the lowest depth of sampling.Calculations of the¹⁵N balance showed that 46 to 50% of the urea and ammonium sulfate was unaccounted for and considered lost from the system. Only 27 to 38% of the¹⁵N applied as SCU was not recovered at maturity, but 78% of the USG application was unaccounted for. The extensive losses and poor plant recovery of USG at this site are discussed in relation to the high percolation rate, which is atypical of many ricegrowing areas.     

Influence of urea fertiliser formulation, urease inhibitor and season on ammonia loss from ryegrass

This paper reports the results of experiments to determine whether ammonia (NH₃) loss can be reduced and nitrogen (N) use efficiency improved by using two relatively new commercial urea formulations rather than granular urea and urea ammonium nitrate. Four nitrogen treatments were applied at a rate of 40 kg N ha^?1: granular urea, ‘Green Urea? 14’ [containing 45.8 % N as urea and ‘Agrotain^®’ (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide) @ 5 L t^?1 of urea as a urease inhibitor], ‘Nhance’, a fine particle spray [containing 46 % N as urea, ‘Agrotain’ @ 1 L t^?1 of urea and gibberellic acid (applied at a rate of 10 g ha^?1)] and urea ammonium nitrate in solution (UAN) surface applied. Ammonia loss was determined in autumn and spring using a micrometeorological method. In autumn, use of the Green Urea and Nhance reduced NH₃ loss from the 30 % of applied N lost from the granular urea to 9 and 23 % respectively. Loss from all treatments in spring was very small (<2 % of applied N), because 4 mm of rain fell within 24 h of application onto an already wet site. The use of the Nhance and Green Urea instead of granular urea did not result in increased agronomic efficiency or recovery efficiency of the applied N, and this is most likely due to the presence of sufficient available N from both fertiliser application and the soil. A ¹⁵N study recovered 72.8 % of the applied N in the plants and soil, and showed that 30 % of the total N taken up by the plant was derived from the fertiliser, and 70 % from the soil.     

Initial and residual effects of nitrogen fertilizers on grain yield of a maize/bean intercrop grown on a Humic Nitosol and the fate and efficiency of the applied nitrogen

Initial and residual effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizers on grain yield of a maize/bean intercrop grown on a deep, well-drained Humic Nitosol (66% clay, 3% organic carbon) were evaluated. Enriched (¹⁵N) N fertilizer was used to study the fate of applied N in two seasons: using urea (banded) at 50 kg N ha^–1 in one season, and¹⁵N-enriched urea (banded), calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN, banded), and urea supergranules (USG, point placement) were applied in the other season (different field) at 100 kg N ha^–1. Nitrogen fertilizer significantly (P = 0.05) increased equivalent maize grain yield in each season of application with no significant differences between N sources, i.e., urea, CAN, and USG. Profitmaximizing rates ranged from 75 to 97 kg N ha^–1 and value: cost ratios ranged from 3.0 to 4.8. Urea gave the highest value: cost ratio in each season. Most (lowest measurement 81%) of the applied N was accounted for by analyzing the soil (to 150 cm depth) and plant material. Measurements for urea, CAN, and USG were not significantly different. The high N measurements suggest low losses of applied N fertilizer under the conditions of the study. Maize plant recovery ranged from 35 to 55%; most of this N (51–65%) was in the grain. Bean plant recovery ranged from 8 to 20%. About 34–43% of the applied N fertilizer remained in the soil, and most of it (about 70%) was within the top soil layer (0–30 cm). However, there were no significant equivalent maize grain increases in seasons following N application indicating no beneficial residual effect of the applied fertilizers.     

Effect of lime nitrogen on the efficiency of urea and other ammonium nitrogen fertilizers

Five pot experiments were conducted with wheat and rice in a net house to study the effect of lime nitrogen (LN, contains about 55% calcium cyanamide) amendment rates on the efficiency of urea, the recovery urea-¹⁵N, the efficiency of the three nitrogen fertilizers(NF), on the efficiency of urea in the three soils, and on NO ₃ ^- -N leaching from a flooded soil. A rate of LN-N of 5–8% of applied fertilizer N increased the recovery of labeled urea-N by 9.42%. The effect of LN on the efficiency of NF was urea > ammonium sulfate > ammonium chloride. Under flooded conditions, LN decreased NO ₃ ^- formation and leaching.Responses of several crops to LN amended fertilizers were also studied in field experiments. At equal NPK applications, the efficiency of basal applications to rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, soybean, peanut, grapes, peaches, melon and watermelon were bette r with LN than without. Efficiency with a basal fertilizer for rice or wheat with LN were the same as with the same fertilizer without LN applied in split applications.     

Turnover of15N ammonium sulfate with dicyandiamide under aerobic and anaerobic soil conditions

The influence of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on the turnover of¹⁵N-labelled ammonium sulfate (AS) was investigated in two soils under aerobic and waterlogged conditions. Nitrification of ammonium sulfate was markedly inhibited by addition of DCD in both soils. Up to 45% of the supplied N was transformed into a non-extractable N form, which only slowly released nitrogen over 147 or 264 days. This immobilization was higher in the presence of DCD than without DCD. In all aerobic experiments, the recovery was 100% ± max. 2.4%, indicating that no gaseous losses of N occurred.If aerobic preincubation of 28 or 42 days was followed by water-logging with H₂O or a solution of glucose, considerable N losses occurred only in presence of the carbohydrate. DCD retarded nitrification and thus reduced losses by denitrification from 61 to 15%.DCD application resulted in an increased immobilization of labelled N into the non-exchangeable soil N fraction. This amounted to more than 50% of the applied N, compared to 39% without DCD.The late Dr. Klaus Vilsmeier, a very dedicated and talented young scientist, died before he was able to finish completely the revised version of this article. We will always keep him in our minds and kindly remember his kind personality as well as his sense of humour and justice. Prof. Dr. Heiner Goldbach on behalf of all members of the department.     

Rate,source and time of N application for meadow bromegrass in central Alberta,Canada

Field experiments were conducted from 1988 to 1991 or 1992 at two sites (Lacombe-Black Chernozem and Eckville-Gray Luvisol) in central Alberta, Canada to determine the effect of rate (0 to 300 kg N ha^–1), source [urea and ammonium nitrate (AN)] and time (early fall, late fall, early winter, early spring and late spring) of N application on dry matter yield (DMY), protein yield (PY), protein concentration (PC), N-use efficiency (NUE), % N recovery (% NR) and nitrate-N (NO₃–N) concentration in meadow bromegrass (Bromus bibersteinii Roem and Shult. cv. Regar). The DMY, PY and PC increased with increasing applied N, but the NUE and % NR decreased at high N rates. The increases in PY from fertilizer N were proportionately greater than DMY due to increase in PC at high N rates. Potentially toxic NO₃–N levels (>2.3 g kg^–1) were not found in the forage. Urea generally produced lower DMY, PY, PC, NUE and % NR than AN, regardless of time of application and cut. Early spring application had the highest and early winter application had the lowest DMY and PY. In conclusion, urea was less effective than AN as a forage fertilizer and early spring application was most effective.     

Effect of source and nest size of N fertilizers and temperature on nitrification in a coarse textured, alkaline soil

Nitrification occurring in an alkaline sandy loam soil fertilized with urea, ammonium sulphate (AS) and ammonium chloride (AC) was studied in the laboratory at 20°C and 40°C for 30 days. Nitrogen fertilizers were applied as nest of sizes 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g. Unfertilized control and soil mixed with 50 mg N kg^-1 were also included as treatments.Nitrification in all the fertilizer treatments decreased markedly with increasing nest size. At 20°C, differences among the three N sources were not significant at 5 days after incubation but marked differences appeared thereafter. All the N was nitrified by 30 days in case of fertilizers mixed into the soil. In nest placement, nitrification ranged from 30.1 to 75.5%, 28.3 to 74.6% and 35.3 to 88.7% for urea, AC and AS, respectively. When equal amounts of fertilizers were placed in a nest, nitrification occurred at a slower rate with urea than with AC and AS. Rates of nitrification were significantly higher at 40°C than at 20°C. At 20 days, nitrification from different nest sizes ranged from 8.4 to 64.9% and from 24.9 to 87.0% at 20°C and 40°C, respectively. The difference in nitrification at two temperatures were more pronounced at higher nest sizes than at smaller nest sizes. While nitrification with the three N sources decreased linearly with increase in N concentration (nest size) in soil at 40°C, it showed a quadratic relationship at 20°C. At equal N concentration, the highest rate of nitrification occurred with urea and the lowest with AC. At the same rate of applied N (50–2000 mg kg^-1), AC and AS increased electrical conductivity of soil by 1.3–9 times that of urea. Apparent mineral N recovery of applied N decreased with the increase in nest size.     

Ammonia volatilization from point-placed urea in upland,sandy soils

The upland fertilization practice in Africa of placing N fertilizer below the soil surface near the plant might be facilitated through use of urea supergranules (USG). Since little is known about N losses from point-placed urea on light-textured African soils, laboratory studies were conducted in a forced-draft system to determine (a) the influence of soil properties on ammonia loss from USG and (b) to compare N loss from USG with that from broadcast N sources. Ammonia loss from 1.1 g USG placed at a 4-cm soil depth ranged from 2.9 to 62% of the added N on six light-textured soils. Ammonia loss was correlated with soil clay content (r = –0.93^**) but not with pH. A more detailed study on a soil from Niger revealed significantly less ammonia loss from either surfaced applied urea (18%) or surface-applied calcium ammonium nitrate (7%) than from USG placed at a 4-cm depth (67%). Amendment of surface-applied urea with 1.7% phenyl phosphorodiamidate (PPD), a urease inhibitor, essentially eliminated ammonia loss (1.9%). An¹⁵N balance confirmed that ammonia volatilization was the major loss mechanism for all N sources. The results suggest that point-placed urea may be prone to ammonia volatilization loss on light-textured African soils moistened by frequent light rainfall. In such cases, broadcast application of urea, CAN, or urea amended with PPD may be less prone to N loss.     

Nitrogen use efficiency,floodwater properties,and nitrogen-15 balance in transplanted lowland rice as affected by liquid urea band placement

Alternative N fertilizer management practices are needed to increase productivity and N use efficiency in lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.). In 1986 dry season, a field study using¹⁵N-labeled urea evaluated the effect of time and method of fertilizer N application on grain yield and N use efficiency. Conventional fertilizer application was compared with band placement of liquid urea and point placement of urea supergranules (USG). Grain yields were significantly higher with either band or point placement than with broadcast and incorporation or surface application. Partial pressure of NH₃ (NH₃) was significantly reduced when N was deep-placed.¹⁵N balance data show that fertilizer N applied basally and incorporated gave a total¹⁵N recovery of 52% and crop (grain + straw) recovery of 30%. Band placement of liquid urea N resulted in 82–90% total and 57–65% crop¹⁵N recovery. USG point placement gave 94% total and 70% crop¹⁵N recovery. Deep placement of second N application gave only slightly higher (98%)¹⁵N recovery compared with broadcast application (89%).     

Increasing organic C and N in soil under bromegrass with long-term N fertilization

Two field experiments were conducted on bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) on a thin Black Chernozem (Typic Boroll) at Crossfield, Alberta, Canada to determine the long-term effects of N fertilization on changes in concentration and mass of organic C and N in soil. In both experiments, bromegrass was harvested for hay each year. In the experiment where ammonium nitrate (AN) was applied annually at 0 to 336 kg N/ha for 27 consecutive years from 1968 to 1994, the concentration of total C in the 0–5 cm soil layer increased from 50.33 g/kg in the zero-N treatment to 61.64 g/kg with 56 kg N/ha and to 64.15 g/kg with the 112 kg N/ha rate. Total C in soil also increased in the 5–10, 10–15 and 15–30 cm layers but to a lesser extent. The mass of total C in the 0–30 cm soil layer was increased by 18.46 Mg/ha with 56 kg N/ha and by 23.38 Mg/ha with the 112 kg N/ha rate as compared to the zero-N treatment. Total N in soil followed a similar trend as total C. In the experiment which received four N sources [ammonium nitrate (AN), urea, calcium nitrate (CN) and ammonium sulphate (AS)] applied annually at 168 and 336 kg N/ha for 15 years from 1979 to 1993, the total C in soil was greater where N fertilizer was applied, but the increase in total C varied with N source. The concentration of total C in soil in the 0–5 cm layer tended to be greater with AN and AS than with CN, with the smallest increase from urea. The mass of total C in soil (average of four N sources) at the 168 kg N/ha rate was increased by 18.98 Mg/ha in 0–30 cm and by 43.48 Mg/ha in the 0–60 cm layer as compared to the check treatment. The concentration of total C in soil also increased in the deeper layers to a depth of 60 cm, but the increases were much smaller than in the 0–5 cm layer. The changes in total N in soil followed a similar pattern as total C. In conclusion, long-term annual additions of fertilizer N to bromegrass resulted in a marked increase in total C and N in soil and the increases were influenced by both rate and source of N fertilizer. The implications of these results are that grasslands can be managed to lessen the increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration, while also improving fertility (N-supplying capacity) and tilth of soil. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fate of nitrogen (15N) from oxamide and urea applied to turf grass: A lysimeter study

Slow release N fertilizers are receiving increasing attention for use on turf grass, but their fate in the plant-soil system is still poorly understood. We aimed to quantify the uptake and recovery of N by a mixture of grasses when applied as either urea or oxamide in different diameter granules using a tracer technique (¹⁵N). The effects of the N source on soil biomass, root density and amount of readily available organic C in soil were also evaluated.In a first experiment oxamide in 4–5 mm diameter granules was compared with urea. The initial N absorption, 40 days after fertilization (d.a.f.), was higher for urea (23.5%) than for oxamide (12.1%), but after 64 days absorption efficiencies were about the same (11%) for both fertilizers. Fertilizer-derived N lost by leaching was much greater from the urea-fertilized soil (1.57 g), compared with losses from oxamide-fertilized soil (0.05 g). The total residual fertilizer N remaining in the system at the end of the experiment was 26.7% of applied urea N and 39.6% of applied oxamide N. Cumulated absorption efficiencies, calculated after dismantling the lysimeters, were 43.1% for urea and 54.8% for oxamide (roots included). A priming effect caused by a larger uptake of soil N because of the better root development was found in the oxamide-treated lysimeter. Fertilization with oxamide also caused an increase in the amount of soil microbial biomass.In a second experiment, the efficiencies and fertilizer N uptake rates from oxamide applied at two different granule sizes (1–2 mm and 5–10 mm) were evaluated. The amount of soil N taken up by the grass was linearly related to root density (r = 0.92).     

The ammonium nitrate with 15 WT% potassium nitrate-ethylenediamine dinitrate-nitroguanidine system

The phase diagram for the ternary system ammonium nitrate(AN) with 15 wt% potassium nitrate(AN:15KN)-ethylenediamine dinitrate(EDD)-nitroguanidine(NQ) has been determined from room temperature to the melting point. The ternary eutectic temperature, measured for a mixture containing 67.24, 25.30, and 7.46 mole% of AN:15KN, EDD, and NQ, respectively, was found to be 98.9 ·°C. The binary phase diagrams for the systems AN:15KN-EDD, AN:15KN-NQ, and EDD-NQ were also determined.