T. Alkanani et al., AMMONIA VOLATILIZATION FROM UREA AMENDED WITH LIGNOSULFONATE AND PHOSPHOROAMIDE, Soil Science Society of America journal, 58(1), 1994, pp. 244-248
Concern about losses Of fertilizer N and pollution of the environment
has stimulated research to find compounds that will reduce these probl
ems by effectively inhibiting urease activity and nitrification. Labor
atory studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of ammonium lig
nosulfonate (LS), thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), and phenylphosphorod
iamide (PPD) on NH, loss from urea fertilizer. We examined NH, losses
from surface-applied urea and from banded urea (2 cm below the soil su
rface) in samples of Ste. Rosalie clay soil (fine, mixed, nonacid, mes
ic Typic Humaquept) exposed to an initial water pressure of - 0.01 MPa
. Formulations of solution, physical dry blend, and tablets were used.
Measurements of NH, volatilization were carried out using an air trai
n system. Ammonia loss from surface-applied unamended urea ranged from
16 to 21% of urea-N applied. Amending urea with LS induced between 46
and 85% reduction in NH, losses compared with the unamended urea. For
tablet and physical dry blend formulations, banding reduced NH, loss
compared with the surface application. There were no significant diffe
rences in NH, losses between surface-applied and banded treatments of
solid fertilizer. Comparison of the effects of LS, NBPT, and PPD on NH
3 volatilization showed that both NBPT and PPD were more effective in
reducing NH, loss than LS, but no significant differences between NBPT
and PPD were found.