Three-dimensional dynamics of nitrogen from banded enhanced efficiency fertilizers
- PDF / 5,785,796 Bytes
- 21 Pages / 547.087 x 737.008 pts Page_size
- 101 Downloads / 207 Views
(0123456789().,-volV) ( 01234567 89().,-volV)
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Three-dimensional dynamics of nitrogen from banded enhanced efficiency fertilizers Chelsea K. Janke
. Philip Moody . Michael J. Bell
Received: 26 November 2019 / Accepted: 21 September 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract A range of enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) have been developed in response to widespread recognition of poor nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture; however, their effective utilization is not properly understood when applied in subsurface bands. This study quantified soil chemical changes and the distribution of N species that arose from sub-surface banding of urea, a controlled release polymer-coated urea (PCU) and urea coated with either nitrification inhibitors (NIs) or a urease inhibitor (UI), over 71 days in a field trial. Banding NIs extended the duration of nitrification inhibition for up to 50 days longer than banded urea, although the duration of NI-conferred inhibition was dependant on the rate of NI-urea application. The UI preserved urea-
N at a concentration which was 16-fold higher cf. standard urea over 7 days, but no urea-N was detected after 21 days. This suggests that the NUE benefits of UIs are transient when applied in sub-surface bands. Slow release of urea-N from banded PCU resulted in lower concentrations of N in the soil solution. This reduced N dispersal by ca. 50 mm cf. urea, resulting in a N-enriched zone which was considerably smaller. Relatively benign chemical conditions around PCU bands enabled rates of nitrification (NH4–N:NO3–N ratio of 46%) which were similar to urea. Collectively, these results demonstrate the relative efficacy and risks of the different EEF technologies, when applied in fertilizer bands. This knowledge supports the effective utilization of band-applied EEFs for improved NUE in agricultural systems.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10095-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Keywords Nitrogen use efficiency Banding Fertilizer management Nitrification inhibitor Urease inhibitor Polymer-coated urea
C. K. Janke (&) M. J. Bell School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
Introduction
P. Moody Landscape Sciences, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Australia M. J. Bell Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Nitrogen (N) is frequently one of the most limiting nutrients to agricultural production, so crop responses to fertilizer-N application are often recorded. However, inappropriate fertilizer use can lead to a leakage of N from agricultural systems through leaching, over-
123
Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst
land flow and gaseous emission. This N loss may disrupt the nutrient balance and dynamics of natural ecosystems, adversely impacting inhabitants an
Data Loading...
