Deep Placement of Briquette Urea Increases Agronomic and Economic Efficiency of Maize in Sandy Loam Soil

Optimizing N Fertilization for Increasing Yield and Profits of Rainfed Maize Grown under Sandy Loam Soil

“…Urea application was 2.23 and 30.12 times higher in comparison to DAP and MoP fertilizers [21]. Additionally, farmers buy some fertilizers from the private sector as well as trade from the grey market, although the grey market data are excluded in official records [22]. With the increased application of N, the amount of losses has also been elevated from soil-plant systems, causing low fertilizer use efficiency thereby contributing to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, and biodiversity degradation [10,[23][24][25][26].…”

“…Moreover, farmers prefer urea as this is relatively cheaper. In some cases, this leads to over-application depending on availability in the market and low to no application under shortage [22,[28][29][30]. Even if the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) is applied, improved varieties and hybrids are under-performing as the current RDF is decades old and needs to be revised according to different agro-ecology, soil, and growing conditions [8].…”

“…Considering the environmental impact of nutrient loss, few studies were conducted on innovative fertilizers and application methods. For example, deep placement of urea briquette in maize was found effective for increasing grain yield, N use efficiency, and economic return [22]. In addition, the use of blended fertilizer to reduce total fertilizer import was suggested [22].…”

“…For example, deep placement of urea briquette in maize was found effective for increasing grain yield, N use efficiency, and economic return [22]. In addition, the use of blended fertilizer to reduce total fertilizer import was suggested [22]. However, commercial production of these fertilizers would commence only after registration in a formal system and may take an even longer time to reach farmers' fields.…”

“…Sandy soil may lose N through leaching, while poorly drained heavy soil may lose N through denitrification [32]. The soil type of the experimental region is sandy loam and is characterized by low water holding [22,33] with hot summer and dry winter climate [34]. Thus, N loss through leaching and volatilization commonly occur in this region [32].…”