Agronomic Assessment of a Controlled-Release Polymer-Coated Urea-Based Fertilizer in Maize

Abstract

Increasing nutrient use efficiency of fertilizers is one of the major challenges to improve crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. This work compared the efficacy of a new ecological polymer-coated urea fertilizer and a slow release urea-based traditional fertilizer. Reductions in the N doses of the polymer-coated fertilizer were tested. A comparative study was first carried out by measuring the different physiological and yield parameters at the micro-scale level, and later-on field experiments were performed. Grain yield in the field was significantly higher (20%) when applying the new controlled-release fertilizer than when using the traditional one at the same dose. A 20% reduction in N content in the new fertilizer gave similar physiological and yield responses compared to the traditional fertilizer. We conclude that this new fertilizer can be used in extensive cropping of maize, guaranteeing at least the same yields than traditional fertilizers, with a reduction on the impact on soil properties and nitrogen losses.

Improving Agricultural Production and Food Security Under Climate Change Conditions

“…Also, the CRF polymeric coating is not synthetic but efficiently and economically produced from the waste of paper and wood industries. Therefore, this new fertiliser can be considered 'eco-friendly', contributing to a circular 'green' economy and reducing the agriculture C-footprint (Gil-Ortiz et al, 2021).…”

The Nitrogen Dynamics of Newly Developed Lignite-Based Controlled-Release Fertilisers in the Soil-Plant Cycle

“…Controlled-release fertilisers (CRFs) have been shown to be an effective strategy to mitigate N losses in many parts of the world [ 5 , 6 ]. Controlled-release fertilisers prolong the N release, allowing the plants to uptake more N than conventional N fertilisers [ 7 ]. Consequently, the losses to the environment decrease and the N utilisation efficiency (NUE) increases.…”

Preparation of Slow-Release Coated Urea Based on C8-Maleic Anhydride Copolymer-Cured Epoxidized Soybean Oil

“…In soil, the coated fertilizer exhibited a steady release behavior for a period of >96 h. The characteristics of natural polymer coating materials, such as renewable source and biodegradability, are of great significance for the development of environmentally friendly, slow-release fertilizer. However, the processability of most natural polymers is poor, which hinders their practical application . The synthetic polymer coating material mainly includes polyolefin, , polyurethane, , and thermosetting resins .…”

“…However, the processability of most natural polymers is poor, which hinders their practical application. 23 The synthetic polymer coating material mainly includes polyolefin, 24,25 polyurethane, 26,27 and thermosetting resins. 28 Liu et al 26 developed a novel biobased elastic polyurethane-coated urea fertilizer (ECU) using waste palm oil.…”