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Ammonia Volatilization from Nitrogen Fertilizer Surface Applied to Orchardgrass Sod
Author(s) -
Lightner J. W.,
Mengel D. B.,
Rhykerd C. L.
Publication year - 1990
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/sssaj1990.03615995005400050044x
Subject(s) - urea , ammonia volatilization from urea , fertilizer , volatilisation , ammonia , chemistry , nitrogen , dactylis glomerata , loam , urease , agronomy , zoology , ammonium , environmental chemistry , environmental science , poaceae , soil water , soil science , biology , organic chemistry
If the N needs of the grass sward cannot be met with a compatible legume, then additional N inputs must come from other sources, such as urea, to sustain high yields. However, urea is difficult to incorporate in an established grass pasture, which can result in considerable inefficiencies in N utilization. One cause of this inefficiency is volatilization of NH 3 . Field measurements were made to determine the amount of NH 3 lost through volatilization from urea‐based fertilizers surface broadcast onto an orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata L.) sod on a Xenia silt loam soil (a fine‐silty, mixed, mesic Aquic Hapludalf). Nitrogen sources used were: urea applied as both a granular solid product and as a solution; cogranulated urea‐urea phosphate (UUP); ammonium nitrate (AN); and urea‐KCL and urea‐CaCl 2 solutions at a cation/urea‐N equivalency of 0.50 KCl or 0.25 CaCl 2 ·2H 2 O. Fertilizer N was applied at 200 kg N ha −1 in the spring and 100 kg N ha −1 in late summer. Measurable NH 3 loss occurred within 12 to 24 h after N application. Rate of volatilization was greatest from mid‐morning to early afternoon. Highest NH 3 losses were from solid urea, urea solution, and urea‐KCl solutions. Losses from these materials ranged from 27 to 41% of applied N in the spring and from 12 to 37% in the summer. No significant volatilization losses were observed with AN. Ammonia losses from UUP were significantly less than those from solid urea in the spring, and at least 40% less in the late summer. Relative to urea solution alone, mixing CaCl 2 with urea lowered volatilization significantly in both 1983 studies. Finally, the concentration of KCl with urea in this study did not effectively reduce NH 3 volatilization.