Summary
Urea applied to soils is converted to ammonium carbonate by the action of the urease enzyme system. The nitrogen can then be lost by volatilisation as ammonia. Data is presented in this paper to show that naturally occuring polyphenolic compounds can be used to effectively inhibit urease activity at soil surfaces, thereby preventing the loss of nitrogen.
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Fernando, V., Roberts, G.R. The partial inhibition of soil urease by naturally occurring polyphenols. Plant Soil 44, 81–86 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016957
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016957