Advances in Fertilizer Technologies for Improved Nutrient Management

Transcription

1 Advances in Fertilizer Technologies for Improved Nutrient Management Greg Binford, Ph.D. Associate Professor & Extension Specialist or University of Delaware

2 Enhanced-Efficiency Fertilizers Products designed to improve the nutrient-use efficiency when using fertilizers. In other words, the goal is to get more nutrient into the crop and less lost to the environment.

3 Understanding N Loss Potential 1) Three ways that N is lost from soils to the environment - leaching, denitrification, & volatilization 2) Nitrate form of N lost thru leaching & denitrification 3) Ammonium form of N lost via volatilization

4 Enhanced-Efficiency N Fertilizers 1) Slow release through Coatings 2) Slow-release through chemical formulation 3) Inhibition of processes: urease & nitrification 4) IMPORTANT: Data should demonstrate that the mode of action does work

5 Slow-Release N Fertilizers 1) Polymer-coated urea product: ESN 2) Chemical control: urea formaldehyde/methylene urea - Nitamin, CoRon, Nutralene, Nitroform - release controlled by chain length of molecules 3) Sulfur-coated urea: used primarily in turf 4) Organic N fertilizers: mineralization of N

6 Temporarily blocks the function of urease enzyme Provides a window of time for rain to move the urea molecule down into the soil Agrotain, also known as NBPT, which is: N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (registered product of Agrotain International in St. Louis, MO)

7 Temporarily blocks the process of nitrification NH O 2 => X NO X H 2 O + 2H + Nitrapyrin: N-SERVE and INSTINCT (registered products of Dow AgroSciences) DCD (dicyandiamide): Guardian

8 Urease AND Nitrification Inhibitors 1) Agrotain Plus: Agrotain + DCD for UAN 2) Super U: dry urea product (Agrotain + DCD) 3) Nutrisphere-N: maleic-itaconic copolymer that combines with Ni to decrease urease activity and combines with Fe and Cu to decrease microorganism metabolic activity delaying nitrification 4) N Zone: Calcium Aminoethylpiperazine and Calcium Heteropolysaccharides that react with ammonia carbonate changing it to calcium carbonate.

9 Cumulative Ammonia Loss (%) Ammonia Losses: AGROTAIN Urea UAN Urea+NBPT Days After Treatment UAN+NBPT UAN+AgroPlus Source: Dr. W. Thornberry, Sturgis, KY; Dr. S. Ebelhar, Univ of Illinois Laboratory incubation

10 CORN GRAIN YIELD (bu/ac) High Volatilization Potential Applied June 1 Four days w/o rain Temp: 74, 88, 81, 65 Rain on day 5 = 1.6 Urea Urea w/ Agrotain Super U RATE OF N APPLIED (lb N/acre)

11 Corn Grain Yield (bu/ac)

12 Corn Grain Yield (bu/ac)

13 Ammonium-N (ppm) Effect of N Serve on Nitrification None N Serve lb N/acre as spring-applied NH Maddux et al., 1985 (SSSAJ) Three Sites in Kansas

14 Corn Grain Yield (bu/ac) Minnesota: N-Serve NH3 fall NH3 spring w/o N-serve w/ N-Serve Randall and Vetsch

15 Nitrate Leached (lb N/ac) Effect of DCD on Nitrate Leaching Averaged fall nitrate leaching losses over three growing seasons in Canada UAN UAN w/ DCD Anhydrous Motavalli et al., 2008 (Review) Type of N Sidedressed on Corn

16 Nitrification with Super U Super U => Urea => Tiessen et al., 2006 (AJ)

17 Nitrification with Super U Super U => Urea => Tiessen et al., 2006 (AJ)

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20 Corn Grain Yield (bu/ac) ESN preplant vs UAN sidedress ESNpp UAN sdd Mean Nine Sites in Delaware from 2004 through 2008

21 Corn Grain Yield (bu/ac) ESN vs Urea BOTH preplant ESN Urea SANDY SOILS Mean Nine Sites in Delaware from 2004 through 2009

22 NITROGEN VOLATILIZED (%) Ammonia Volatilization: AT/NSN Urea Urea +AT Urea +NSN Dr. Rick Norman, Univ. of Arkansas DAYS SINCE APPLICATION OF UREA FERTILIZER

23 NITROGEN VOLATILIZED (%) Ammonia Volatilization: AT/NSN Bare Soil Urea Urea +AT Urea +NSN Dr. Elizabeth Guertal Auburn University DAYS SINCE APPLICATION OF UREA FERTILIZER

24 NITROGEN VOLATILIZED (%) Ammonia Volatilization: NSN Urea Urea +NSN Dr. R. Jay Goos North Dakota State University DAYS SINCE APPLICATION OF UREA FERTILIZER

25 Recovery of N Applied (%) Effect on Nitrification (14-day incubation) Urea Agrotain NSN Super U NH4 NO3 Rick Norman, Univ. of Arkansa

26 Nitrate or Ammonium (ppm N) Effect on Nitrification (4-week incubation) 350 Urea-NH4 Urea-NO3 NSN-NH4 NSN-NO Dr. R. Jay Goos North Dakota State University Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

27 Urease AND Nitrification Inhibitors 1) Agrotain Plus: Agrotain + DCD for UAN 2) Super U: dry urea product (Agrotain + DCD) 3) Nutrisphere-N: maleic-itaconic copolymer that combines with Ni to decrease urease activity and combines with Fe and Cu to decrease microorganism metabolic activity delaying nitrification 4) N Zone: Calcium Aminoethylpiperazine and Calcium Heteropolysaccharides that react with ammonia carbonate changing it to calcium carbonate.

28 Criteria for EE Fertilizers 1) Know the mode of action 2) Determine where greatest value should be obtained 3) Consider the rate of nitrogen applied? 4) Data that demonstrates the mode of action 5) Evaluate cost-to-benefit with on-farm trials 6) Remember that the product will only provide increased value when conditions exist that induce losses of nitrogen 7) Value of enhanced efficiency fertilizers increases as nitrogen fertilizer prices increase

29 Total N 2 O Evolved (g N/ha) Rate of N 2 O Emissions Averaged over two growing season (2007 & 2008) Urea UAN ESN Super U UAN ATP Check Halvorson et al., 2010 (JEQ) TYPE OF N APPLIED

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31 Early Growth (% of Control) AVAIL: Early Growth Response w/o Avail w/ Avail Mean Soil Test P Concentration at SEVEN Study Locations in 2007 & 2008 (FIV)

32 Corn Grain Yield (bu/acre) AVAIL: Corn Grain Yield 250 w/o Avail w/ Avail Mean Soil Test P Concentration at SEVEN Study Locations in 2007 & 2008 (FIV)

33 Early Growth (% of Control) Site BS STP = Low 250 w/o Avail w/avail Mean Rate of P Applied in Starter Band with 25 lb N (lb P2O5/ac)

34 Phosphorus Uptake at V6 (lb P 2 O 5 /acre) Site BS STP = Low 2.5 w/o Avail w/avail Mean Rate of P Applied in Starter Band with 25 lb N (lb P2O5/ac)

35 Control 25 lb N only Grain Yield (bu/acre) Site BS STP = Low 210 w/o Avail w/avail Mean Rate of P Applied in Starter Band with 25 lb N (lb P2O5/ac)

36 CONCLUSIONS Agrotain clearly reduces ammonia volatilization when conditions exist for volatilization Agrotain Plus, Super U, N-Serve, and Instinct* reduce N loss potential in wet conditions Nutrisphere-N data suggest not much impact on volatilization or nitrification ESN is a slow-release product that reduces N loss potential There is NO product that should be recommended on all soils, under all conditions, and provides season-long control of nitrogen losses!

37 QUESTIONS??? Greg or