Nitrogen Fertilizers Technologies for Corn in Two Yield Environments in South Brazil

Abstract

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.

Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency—Methods and Strategies for the Future

“…The problem of reducing losses of NH 3 -N from fertilizers was also studied by Cassim et al [35]. The authors assessed different nitrogen (N) fertilizer technologies in corn production systems through the characterization of N sources, NH 3 -N volatilization losses, and their effects on the nutrient concentration and yield of corn grown in clayey and sandy soils in south Brazil.…”

Rapid Quantification of Ammonium Nitrate and Urea Nitrate Using Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

“…AN is a ubiquitous and commercially available fertilizer that can be made into an improvised, commercial, or military-grade munition. Urea has superseded AN as the most popular fertilizer due to cost and higher nitrogen content; , however, urea can be converted to UN, a powerful and increasingly encountered improvised explosive . Therefore, rapid quantitative analytical methods with increased sensitivity and specificity for energetic ionic species are needed.…”