Use of polyolefin-coated fertilizers for increasing fertilizer efficiency and reducing nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions

This paper reviews some of the benefits of polyolefin-coated fertilizers (POCFs) with accurate controlled release properties. They are helpful in developing innovative rice farming systems, such as no-till direct seeded rice with single basal fertilization and transplanting of rice seedlings with single basal fertilization. These new cultivation systems can increase fertilizer efficiency and reduce farming costs. The recovery of basal N can be increased from 22–23% with conventional broadcast application of ammonium sulfate or urea to 79% withco-situs application of polyolefin-coated urea. The no-till rice cultivation of transplanting of rice seedlings with single basal application of POCFs decreased the farming cost by 65% as compared to that of the conventional rice cultivation. Theco-situs application of POCFs containing NPK reduced nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions from cultivated soils with heavy fertilization. Since POCFs have various nutrient composition and release types, a variety of application methods to agricultural and horticultural plants are being developed in Japan.