Novel fertilizer stabilization technologies are needed to decrease ammonia (NH 3 -N) losses and increase nitrogen use efficiency. Duromide + NBPT is a new technology that combines two molecules, Duromide and NBPT, whose propose is to increase the efficiency of the urease inhibitor NBPT in reducing NH 3 -N loss from urea. Preliminary results showed that Duromide + NBPT can be a more effective product than just NBPT, particularly under low soil pH and high-temperature conditions. This study aimed to compare the effects of urea + Duromide + NBPT, urea + NBPT, and conventional urea on soil N losses by NH 3 -N volatilization. The field experiment was conducted on a Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico (Oxisol) in Campo Mourão, Paraná, Brazil, using a randomized complete block design with treatments arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial, comprising two N doses (45 and 90 kg ha -1 ) and three N fertilizers (urea + Duromide + NBPT, urea + NBPT, and conventional urea). The NH 3 -N volatilization data were subjected to nonlinear regression using a logistic model. The NH 3 -N losses varied according to dose and fertilizer, reaching up to 12.4 % of the applied N in the conventional urea treatment. Urea + Duromide + NBPT was more efficient than urea + NBPT in decreasing NH 3 -N volatilization. Compared to conventional urea at doses of 45 and 90 kg ha -1 of N, urea + Duromide + NBPT reduced NH 3 -N volatilization losses by 35 and 54 % and from urea + NBPT by 15 and 33 %, respectively. The new stabilizing technology Duromide + NBPT reduced NH 3 -N losses by up to 33 % compared to NBPT alone. Ammonia volatilization was influenced by soil moisture. The volatilization peak, observed after 18-19 days of N fertilizer application, was triggered by rainfall events.

and phosphogypsum application management: changes in soil acidity, sulfur availability and crop yield. Rev Bras Cienc Solo. 2021;45:e0200135.

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Improvements in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in corn production systems are necessary, to decrease the economic and environmental losses caused by loss of ammonia volatilization (NH3-N). The objective was to study different nitrogen (N) fertilizer technologies through characterization of N sources, NH3-N volatilization losses, and their effects on the nutrient concentration and yield of corn grown in clayey and sandy soils in south Brazil. The treatments consisted of a control without N application as a topdressing, three conventional N sources (urea, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate + calcium sulfate), and three enhanced-efficiency fertilizers [urea treated with NBPT + Duromide, urea formaldehyde, and polymer-coated urea (PCU) + urea treated with NBPT and nitrification inhibitor (NI)]. The losses by NH3-N volatilization were up to 46% of the N applied with urea. However, NI addition to urea increased the N losses by NH3-N volatilization by 8.8 and 23.3%, in relation to urea alone for clayey and sandy soils, respectively. Clayey soil was 38.4% more responsive than sandy soil to N fertilization. Ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate + calcium sulfate showed the best results, because it increased the corn yield in clayey soil and contributed to reductions in NH3-N emissions of 84 and 80% in relation to urea, respectively.

It is estimated that 17.3% of the world population is at risk for Zn deficiency, and annually, about half a million children under five years of age die from causes related to Zn malnutrition. Low-cost strategy to increase Zn intake by humans is to increase the consumption of biofortified crops. Biofortification comprises the process for increasing contents of one or more nutrients in the edible parts of agricultural crops in order to increase their nutritional value. For biofortification to reach one billion people by 2030, mutual efforts must be added. Among them, policies must place more emphasis on agriculture role in improving health. Governments and institutions must include biofortification on food security policy, and food processors and others responsible for production chain must include biofortified crops in their product lines. The objective of this study was to carry out a bibliographic review to elucidate the dynamics of Zn in soil, the essential function of Zn in plant yield, the plant role in transfer Zn to human body, the importance of Zn in the human health and current measures that have been taken to mitigate Zn malnutrition in the world.