Abstract
Urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution fertilizers are subject to N loss through ammonia (NH3) volatilization. This loss may be reduced by manipulation of the proportion of urea and by use of additives to reduce urea hydrolysis or increase fertilizer solution acidity. This research was design to study the effect of urea proportion in UAN solutions, added ammonium thiosulfate (ATS), and aquechem liquor (an industry by-product) on NH3 loss from N solutions surface-applied to a range of agricultural soils.
NH3 volatilization from urea (U), ammonium nitrate (AN), and UAN solutions surface-applied on six eastern Canadian soils was investigated. Ammonia loss from urea solutions ranged from 23 to 55% of the applied N. Increased AN-N in UAN solutions caused a reduction of NH3 loss greater than the reduction in urea. Less volatilization was observed with N solutions of higher acidity. This effect was more pronounced on a sandy soil than on clay soil.
When ATS was added to UAN solution, a further reduction of NH3 losses was observed. This reduction ranged from 12 to 23.5% in Dalhousie clay and Ste. Sophie sand soils, respectively. Addition of aquachem liquor (AqL) to the UAN solution did not consistently reduce NH3 loss.
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Supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Nitrochem Inc., Canada.
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AL-Kanani, T., Mackenzie, A.F. & Blenkhorn, H. The influence of formula modifications and additives on ammonia loses from surface-applied urea-ammonium nitrate solutions. Fertilizer Research 22, 49–59 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054807
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054807