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The Retention and Reactions of Anhydrous Ammonia on Different Soil Types
Author(s) -
McDowell L. L.,
Smith G. E.
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1958.03615995002200010012x
Subject(s) - ammonia , calcareous , loam , anhydrous , chemistry , silt , nitrification , soil water , ammonia volatilization from urea , soil texture , environmental chemistry , nitrogen , soil science , environmental science , geology , paleontology , organic chemistry
Soil texture had a pronounced effect on ammonia movement and retention. The greatest movement of ammonia occurred in the sand and silt loam soils; and the least movement in the clay. The loss of ammonia from the airdry, acid sandy soil at a 6‐inch depth of application was 44 times the loss from the calcareous clay soil receiving ammonia at comparable moisture and depth. The retentive capacity of a soil for ammonia increased greatly as the texture became heavier. The loss of ammonia from the air‐dry, calcareous clay soil was negligible even at the 3‐inch depth of application. A considerable portion of the nitrogen applied as anhydrous ammonia was lost to the atmosphere or was fixed in some form making it non‐extractable by the chemical analysis used. The amount of ammonia fixed increased with the greater clay content of the soil. The presence of high concentrations of ammonia in a localized area resulted in the partial breakdown of the soil organic matter. As a result of nitrification and the subsequent increase in hydrogen‐ion concentration this condition was no longer observed at the end of 4 weeks of incubation. Ammonia losses were reduced considerably when the application was changed from 40‐inch to 16‐inch spacings and the rate applied per acre was maintained a constant.