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Rate of Urea Application and NH 3 Volatilization from Loblolly Pine
Author(s) -
Kissel David E.,
Cabrera Miguel L.,
Craig Joseph R.,
Rema John A.,
Morris Larry A.
Publication year - 2013
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/sssaj2012.0186
Subject(s) - ammonia volatilization from urea , volatilisation , urea , loblolly pine , chemistry , ammonia , nitrogen , pinus <genus> , zoology , humidity , relative humidity , hydrolysis , environmental chemistry , environmental science , agronomy , botany , meteorology , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , biology
Surface application of urea to pine forests may lead to ammonia (NH 3 ) volatilization, which can reduce forest production. The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of rate of urea application on urea hydrolysis rates and the loss of nitrogen (N) by NH 3 volatilization under a range of environments in the field. Three field studies were performed in a mid‐rotation loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) plantation with treatments consisting of urea‐N application rates of 50, 100, and 200 kg N ha −1 applied to NH 3 volatilization chambers that were designed to adjust the rate of air flow through the system based on wind speed at 1 cm above the soil surface. Overall, there was a tendency during some periods of measurement for urea hydrolysis to be slower at the high rate compared with the lower rates of application, but this effect was small. There was, however, no effect of rate of N application on NH 3 loss, expressed as a percentage of the N applied, during any of the three studies. The main factor controlling NH 3 loss was water availability as reflected by the interaction between pine needle water potential and relative humidity.