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Rapid and Low-Cost Method for Evaluation of Nutrient Release from Controlled-Release Fertilizers Using Electrical Conductivity

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Abstract

Methods to determine nutrient release rates of coated fertilizers usually rely on chemical analyses, which often are time-consuming and/or expensive. Our goal was to develop an innovative and rapid low-cost method to evaluate nutrient release from polymer coated MAP or urea using conductometry. The release in water is determined by measuring the electric conductivity (EC) over time, with intervals dependent on release rates. In the case of soluble salt fertilizers, EC can be immediately determined and converted to a concentration using a calibration curve. In the case of urea, an additional step is needed to convert the neutral urea into ammonium. The release rates in water were assessed for a range of commercial and laboratory-coated fertilizers. A validation test demonstrated strong agreement with the release determined using analytical techniques. The EC method hence offers an easy way to quickly evaluate the time course of release of nutrients from controlled-release fertilizers.

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Abbreviations

EC:

Electrical conductivity

N:

Nitrogen

P:

Phosphorus

CRF:

Controlled release fertilizers

PCF:

Polymer coated fertilizers

TKN:

Total Kjeldahl nitrogen

MAP:

Monoammonium phosphate

ICP-OES:

Inductively couple plasma optical emission spectroscopy

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ashleigh Broadbent for technical assistance and Roslyn Baird for language review. The first author acknowledges the CAPES foundation for a scholarship, process code BEX 3904/15-6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dep. Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG, 37200-000, Brazil

    Eduardo Lopes Cancellier & Douglas Ramos Guelfi Silva

  2. Fertiliser Technology Research Centre, Soil Science, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia

    Fien Degryse, Rodrigo Coqui da Silva & Mike John McLaughlin

Authors
  1. Eduardo Lopes Cancellier
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  2. Fien Degryse
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  3. Douglas Ramos Guelfi Silva
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  4. Rodrigo Coqui da Silva
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Correspondence to Eduardo Lopes Cancellier.

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Cancellier, E.L., Degryse, F., Silva, D.R.G. et al. Rapid and Low-Cost Method for Evaluation of Nutrient Release from Controlled-Release Fertilizers Using Electrical Conductivity. J Polym Environ 26, 4388–4395 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-018-1309-1

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