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Ammonia volatilization from urea is a considerable problem if fertilizer is surface applied, whether by choice (minimum tillage) or by lack of implements, which is common in the tropics. Urea phosphate [CO(NH2)2·H3PO4] was tested in several experiments as a means of reducing ammonia volatilization losses. Incubation experiments using 15N‐labeled urea were conducted to evaluate ammonia loss from urea, urea phosphate, and urea‐urea phosphate mixtures (N content = 460, 190, 370, and 350 g kg−1, respectively), applied at rates up to 100 kg N ha−1 to a variety of soils using a range of initial moisture contents. Evolved ammonia was measured by collection in an external acid trap. Ammonia volatilization losses from surface‐applied urea ranged from 10% to 30% of that applied, dependent on soil type. Initial soil moisture affected the timing of N loss, but not the total amount. Addition of urea with phosphate (190 g N kg−1) slightly decreased ammonia loss from 17.0% to 12.2% of the applied N on a highly calcareous (225 g CaCO3 kg−1) Mollisols. On the other hand, NH3 losses from a slightly calcareous (20 g CaCO3 kg−1) Vertisols were 10.5% and 3.1%, and from a slightly calcareous Entisols (2.6 g CaCO3 kg−1) were 14.4% and 4.4% of the applied N for urea and urea phospate, respectively. The relative savings of urea‐N were much higher in low CaCO3 soils (approximately 70%) than in the highly calcareous soil (approximately 30%). Mixtures of urea and urea phosphate were substantially less effective in reducing ammonia volatilization with relative reductions ranging from 0% to 20%. Detailed studies of the mobility and reactions of urea phosphate in soils revealed that rapid precipitation of calcium phosphates near the placement site and the diffusion of urea away from the placement site were responsible for the poor performance of granular urea phosphate in highly calcareous soil. It is concluded that urea‐urea phosphate mixtures should probably not be recommended as a means of reducing ammonia volatilization on highly calcareous soils, though its use on noncalcareous soils and soils low in CaCO3 merits further testing.

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