Effect of dicyandiamide on the form and recovery of 15N‐labeled urea in the delayed flood soil system

Abstract

Dicyandiamide (DCD) is a nitrification inhibitor that has been proposed for use in drill‐seeded rice. Immobilization of fertilizer NH₄ ⁺‐N by soil microorganisms under aerobic conditions has been found to be significantly enhanced in the presence of a nitrification inhibitor. The objective of this laboratory study was to determine if DCD significantly delayed nitrification of urea‐derived N, and if this enhanced immobilization of the fertilizer N in the delayed‐flood soil system inherent to dry‐seeded rice culture. Nitrogen‐15‐labeled urea solution, with and without DCD (1: 9 w/w N basis), was applied to a Crowley silt loam (Typic Albaqualf) and the soil was incubated for 10 weeks in the laboratory. The soil was maintained under nonflooded conditions for the first four weeks and then a flood was applied and maintained for the remaining six weeks of incubation. The use of DCD significantly slowed the nitrification of the fertilizer N during the four weeks of nonflooded incubation to cause the (urea + DCD)‐amended soil to have a 2.5 times higher fertilizer‐derived exchangeable NH₄+‐N concentration by the end of the fourth week. However, the higher exchangeable NH₄+‐N concentration had no significant effect on the amount of fertilizer N immobilized during this period. Immobilization of the fertilizer N appeared to level off during the nonflood period about the second week after application. After flooding, immobilization of fertilizer N resumed and was much greater in the (urea + DCD)‐amended soil that had the much higher fertilizer‐derived exchangeable NH₄ ⁺‐N concentration. Immobilization of fertilizer N appeared to obtain a maximum in the urea‐amended soil (18%) about two weeks after flooding and for the (urea + DCD)‐amended soil (28%) about four weeks after flooding.     

氢醌、双氰胺组合影响稻田甲烷和氧化亚氮排放研究进展

稻田是大气中CH4和N2O的重要来源。大量氮肥的施入不仅影响稻田CH4和N2O排放,且易造成NH3挥发、NO2-和NO3-淋溶及N2O、N2等形式的氮损失。脲酶抑制剂和硝化抑制剂通过缓解尿素水解及抑制硝化反硝化反应减少稻田N2O排放量,但对稻田CH4产生排放的影响报道不一。脲酶抑制剂氢醌(HQ)和硝化抑制剂双氰胺(DCD)是近年来研究较多的组合。本文试图在前人研究的基础上,综述HQ和DCD的基本性质及作用机理,总结HQ/DCD组合在稻田生态系统的应用状况、使用效果及存在问题,并特别讨论了HQ/DCD施用对稻田CH4排放的影响机理,旨在为合理使用脲酶/硝化抑制剂、有效减缓稻田温室气体排放和提高氮肥利用率等方面提供理论依据。     

Effect of dicyandiamide on growth and nutrient uptake of cotton

Abstract

The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) offers potential for improving efficiency of N applications to cotton grown on sandy soils of the southeastern Coastal Plain. Research has indicated that cotton is sensitive to DCD. The purpose of this greenhouse experiment was to investigate the effect of DCD on growth and nutrient uptake of DPL 90 cotton grown for 73 days in pots containing a typical Coastal Plain soil (Norfolk sandy loam, Typic Paleudult). Nitrogen (50 mg kg^‐1) as NaNO₃ or urea, and DCD (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg kg^‐1) were applied to the soil at first true leaf and plants were harvested 58 days later. Sodium nitrate increased leaf dry weight and total dry weight of plants 9.1 and 6.0%, respectively, over urea fertilized plants. Leaf area, dryweight, and stem dry weight were reduced linearly with DCD. Fertilization with urea increased concentrations of leaf P, K, and Mn and reduced the concentration of Mg in leaf tissue. Dicyandiamide increased leaf N, P, and K concentrations but reduced concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Mn. Uptake rates (μg^‐1 g^‐1 fresh root day^‐1) of Ca and Mg were increased 7.5 and 13.7%, respectively, with NaNO₃ vs. urea, while P uptake rate was 15.5% greater for urea‐fertilized plants vs. NaNO₃‐fertilized plants. Dicyandiamide reduced Ca and Mg uptake rates. Phosphorus uptake rates were increased by DCD when urea was the N source. The effects of DCD on cotton growth and nutrient uptake generally resulted from the compound itself and were not an indirect result of nitrification inhibition. Although significant reductions in plant growth did not occur unless DCD exceeded that normally applied with recommended N rates on this soil, these results suggest a need for caution when applying DCD to cotton grown on sandy soils.     

Laboratory evaluation of dicyandiamide as a soil nitrification inhibitor

Abstract

Laboratory studies to evaluate dicyandiamide (DCD) as a soil nitrification inhibitor showed that it is considerably more effective than several compounds that have been patented or proposed as fertilizer amendments for retarding nitrification of fertilizer nitrogen (N) in soil, but is considerably less effective than 2‐ethynylpyridine, nitrapyrin (N‐Serve), etridiazole (Dwell), 3‐methylpyrazole‐l‐carboxamide (MPC), or 4‐amino‐l,2,4‐triazole (ATC). Other findings in studies reported were as follows: a) DCD is more effective for inhibiting nitrification of ammonium‐N than of urea‐N; b) the effectiveness of DCD as a nitrification inhibitor is markedly affected by soil temperature and soil type and is limited by the susceptibility of DCD to leaching; c) DCD has very little, if any, effect on urea hydrolysis, denitrification, or seed germination in soil; d) products of DCD decomposition in soil (guanylurea and guanidine) have little, if any, effect on nitrification compared with DCD; e) in the absence of leaching, the persistence of the inhibitory effect of DCD on nitrification decreases with increase in soil temperature from 10 to 30°C, but the inhibitory effect of 50 μg DCD g^‐1 soil is substantial even after incubation of DCD‐treated soils at 20 or 30°C for 24 weeks.     

The effect of dicyandiamide and neem cake on the nitrification of urea-derived ammonium under field conditions

Summary Dicyandiamide (DCD) and neem cake were evaluated for their efficiency in inhibiting nitrification of prilled urea-derived NH ₄ ⁺ –N in a wheat field. Prilled urea was blended with 10% and 20% DCD-N or 10% and 20% neem cake and incorporated into the soil just before the wheat was sown. Both DCD and neem cake partially inhibited nitrification of prilled urea-derived NH ₄ ⁺ ; DCD was better than neem cake. The nitrification-inhibiting effects of DCD lasted for 45 days, while that of neem cake lasted for only 30 days. Blending the prilled urea with DCD (20% on N basis) was most effective in inhibiting the nitrification of urea-derived NH ₄ ⁺ , both in terms of intensity and duration, and maintained substantially more NH ₄ ⁺ –N than the prilled urea alone and 20% neem-cake-blended urea for a period of 60 days.     

Effects of a nitrification inhibitor on efficiency of nitrogen utilization by wheat and millet

Abstract

Preliminary soil incubation studies established that the nitrification inhibitor, Dicyandiamide (DCD), could maintain the ratio of NH.‐N to NO₃‐N at predetermined levels. When one part DCD was mixed with 10 parts of the ammonium fertilizer prior to incorporation with the soil, nitrification was inhibited for at least six weeks. In a greenhouse experiment, wheat was grown to maturity and millet to the flowering stage in pots containing nitrate and ammonium fertilizers treated with DCD. Soil analyses during the plant growth period indicated that ammonium oxidation in soil was effectively inhibited. Plants of both species exposed to ammonium only with DCD produced lower yields than those exposed to a mixture of nitrate and ammonium nitrogen with DCD. Plants supplied with nitrate‐only gave somewhat lower yields than the mixtures. The nitrate‐only treatments resulted in the lowest accumulation of reduced nitrogen compounds in shoots of both species. Magnesium uptake by millet and calcium and magnesium uptake by wheat were reduced as the proportion of ammonium in soil was increased.     

Dicyandiamide (DCD) research in agriculture in the mid‐Atlantic region

Abstract

Numerous experiments have been conducted in Maryland and Pennsylvania since 1981 to determine if adding the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) to an ammonium‐containing or producing N fertilizer source would increase the efficiency of that source with turfgrass, wheat, or corn. Greater yields per unit of fertilizer N were attained in three of eight experiments with wheat when DCD was included with an early spring application of N as urea or UAN. There was no significant beneficial effect of DCD on turf clipping yields or color in the 3 years of the turf study or on corn grain yields in the 22 field comparisons of N fertilizer with and without DCD. In five of the 22 comparisons with corn, there was a significantly lower grain yield with DCD than when it was not included. In three of these five cases, it was hypothesized that the lower yields with DCD were due to increased NH₃ volatilization from urea or urea‐ammonium nitrate solutions containing DCD that were surface‐applied to no‐till corn. It was concluded that there was little likelihood that the inclusion of a nitrification inhibitor such as DCD with N fertilizer would increase N fertilizer efficiency with corn or turf on the predominantly well‐drained silt loam soils in the two states.     

Decomposition rate of dicyandiamide and nitrification inhibition

Abstract

Degradation of dicyandiamide (DCD) was assayed in laboratory studies at 8, 15, and 22 C in a Decatur silt loam and in a Norfolk loamy sand. Dicyandiamide was very short lived at 22 C, with half‐lives of 7.4 and 14.7 days in the Decatur and Norfolk soils, respectively. In the Norfolk soil at 8 C, half‐life increased to 52.2 days. In a nitrificaton study of both soils at 22 C, 80 mg (NH₄)₂SO₄‐N kg^‐1 of soil was applied with 20 mg DCD‐N kg^‐1 of soil and 100 mg kg^‐1 (NH₄)₂S0₄‐N was added with 5% nitrapyrin. Distinct lag phases preceded zero order nitrification with the inhibitor treatments. Lag periods were 2 and 2.6 times the half life of DCD in the degradation study for Decatur and Norfolk soils, respectively. Like most nitrification inhibitors, the effectiveness of DCD decreases with increasing temperature. In the Norfolk loamy sand, nitrification inhibition by DCD was equal to nitrapyrin for up to 42 days, but in Decatur silt loam, DCD was less potent to nitrapyrin as a nitrification inhibitor.     

Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from a maize‐wheat sequence by decreasing soil nitrate concentration: effects of split application of pig slurry and dicyandiamide

Pig slurry (PS) is a valuable nitrogen (N) source for agricultural crops but the simultaneous supply of readily decomposable carbon and mineral N can result in large soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Our objective was to determine the individual and combined effects of split PS application and addition of a nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD) on N₂O emissions and soil mineral N concentration in southern Brazil. Soil N₂O fluxes were measured from November 2010 to November 2011 from a maize (Zea mays L.)‐wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequence under various fertilizer treatments: no‐N control, PS applied in a single pre‐plant dose with or without DCD, PS split‐applied with or without DCD, and urea split‐applied. Cumulative N₂O emissions increased linearly (R² = 0.73) with increasing soil nitrate (NO₃^?) exposure, indicating that management practices aimed at reducing soil NO₃^? concentrations can decrease soil N₂O emissions. In total for the two crops, splitting PS reduced N₂O emission factors (EF) by 33%, whereas the addition of DCD reduced EF by 60 and 41% when PS was applied in single and split doses, respectively. However, splitting PS or adding DCD failed to reduce N₂O losses more than a single pre‐plant PS application in maize where background soil NO₃^? concentrations were large. The addition of DCD to PS applied as a single pre‐plant dose resulted in the largest reduction in soil N₂O emissions, whereas splitting PS with and without DCD resulted in significantly smaller abatements. Consequently, we concluded that adding DCD to PS in a single pre‐plant application is a better option than splitting PS applications for reducing soil N₂O emissions in no‐till cereal cropping systems in southern Brazil.     

Evidence for nitrification ability controlling nitrogen use efficiency and N losses via denitrification in paddy soils

For understanding the effects of nitrification ability on nitrogen (N) use efficiency and N losses via denitrification in paddy soils under flooding conditions, six paddy soils with different nitrification activities were sampled from various sites of China and a pot experiment was conducted. Rice plants at tillering stage were transplanted into pots and harvested 7.5 days after transplanting, ¹⁵N-(NH₄)₂SO₄ was applied 2.5 days after rice transplanting under continuously flooding conditions. The N losses by denitrification were determined by the unrecovered ¹⁵N applied as ¹⁵NH₄ ⁺ and the N use efficiency (NUE) was calculated by ¹⁵N taken up by rice plants. Plant height (from 33.8 to 37.3 cm) and biomass (from 1.07 g pot^?1 to 1.52 g pot^?1) increased significantly with the native NH₄ ⁺ concentration in the studied soils (P < 0.01). The NUE decreased, whereas the N losses via denitrification increased due to the increase in the nitrification rate of soils determined at 60% water holding capacity (P < 0.05). The results implied that the nitrification activity of paddy soils is a key factor in controlling NUE and N losses via denitrification.     

覆膜栽培及抑制剂施用对稻田N2O排放的影响

采用静态箱-气相色谱法研究脲酶抑制剂氢醌(Hydroquinone, HQ)与硝化抑制剂双氰胺(Dicyandiamide, DCD)配合施用(HQ/DCD)对常规栽培和水稻覆膜节水高产栽培下四川丘陵地区稻田的N2O排放的影响。结果表明,水稻生长期,常规栽培和水稻覆膜节水高产栽培稻田N2O排放总量分别为41.8 mg/m2 和506.9 mg/m2。HQ/DCD施用减少常规栽培与水稻覆膜节水高产栽培稻田N2O季节总排放,降幅分别为25.2% 和48.5%。常规栽培和水稻覆膜节水高产栽培N2O季节总排放占施氮量的0.3% 和3.4%,施入HQ与DCD后,其N2O季节总排放分别降为施氮量的0.2% 和1.7%,HQ/DCD施用对水稻覆膜节水高产栽培下的N2O减排更为有效。各处理N2O排放与5 cm土壤温度、土壤Eh无显著相关性。     

不同土地利用方式土壤温室气体排放对碳氮添加的响应

揭示不同土地利用方式下土壤N2O产生机制及其CO2和CH4的排放,有助于土壤温室气体减排措施的制定。本研究以长沙金井河流域酸性红壤上菜地、稻田、茶园和林地土壤为研究对象,控制温度和土壤含水量,采用静态培养-气相色谱法,研究4种利用方式土壤N2O、CO2和CH4的排放对不同碳氮和硝化抑制剂添加的响应。结果表明,由于土壤pH较低,酸性红壤外加氮源后仅有较小的N2O排放。葡萄糖能够促进尿素添加后N2O的排放及土壤反硝化作用N2O的排放。异养硝化作用可能是酸性红壤N2O产生的主要途径。硝化抑制剂双氰胺（DCD）对酸性红壤N2O减排无明显效果。碳氮添加后土壤N2O的总排放量表现为茶园 > 菜地 > 稻田 > 林地。外源有机碳能够显著促进4种利用方式土壤CO2的排放,表现为茶园、稻田 > 菜地、林地。但除稻田土壤CH4排放增加外,菜地、茶园和林地土壤CH4排放对外源有机碳无明显响应。     

Effect of urea pellet size and dicyandiamide on residual ammonium in field microplots

Abstract

Nitrification of urea can be slowed by adding a nitrification inhibitor or by fertilizer localization. The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of urea pellet size (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 g) and level of dicyandiamide (DCD) addition (0, 1, 2, 5, and 10% of N as DCD‐N) on residual ammonium in field microplots. Trials were conducted at ten locations in North Dakota during 1988 and 1989. Adding DCD to 0.01 g urea pellets slowed nitrification at all locations and the lower rates of DCD (1–2% of N as DCD‐N) often performed as well as higher rates. Increasing urea pellet size to 1.0 g was more effective in inhibiting nitrification than adding DCD to 0.01 g pellets. Increased pellet size plus addition of DCD led to a very slow nitrification. A 1.0 g urea pellet containing 1–2% of N as DCD‐N should be a practical fertilizer formulation where a very slow nitrification is required.     

Effects of 4-amino 1,2,4-triazole, dicyandiamide and encapsulated calcium carbide on nitrification inhibition in a subtropical soil under upland and flooded conditions

 Nitrification inhibition of soil and applied fertilizer N is desirable as the accumulation of nitrates in soils in excess of plant needs leads to enhanced N losses and reduced fertilizer N-use efficiency. In a growth chamber experiment, we studied the effects of two commercial nitrification inhibitors (NIs), 4-amino 1,2,4-triazole (ATC) and dicyandiamide (DCD), and a commonly available and economical material, encapsulated calcium carbide (CaC₂) (ECC) on the nitrification of soil and applied NH₄ ⁺-N in a semiarid subtropical Tolewal sandy loam soil under upland [60% water-filled pore space (WFPS)] and flooded conditions (120% WFPS). Nitrification of the applied 100 mg NH₄ ⁺-N kg^–1 soil under upland conditions was retarded most effectively (93%) by ECC for up to 10 days of incubation, whereas for longer periods, ATC was more effective. After 20 days, only 16% of applied NH₄ ⁺-N was nitrified with ATC as compared to 37% with DCD and 98% with ECC. Under flooded soil conditions, nitrates resulting from nitrification quickly disappeared due to denitrification, resulting in a tremendous loss of fertilizer N (up to 70% of N applied without a NI). Based on four indicators of inhibitor effectiveness, namely, concentration of NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^–-N, percent nitrification inhibition, ratio of NH₄ ⁺-N/NO₃ ^–-N, and total mineral N, ECC showed the highest relative efficiency throughout the 20-day incubation under flooded soil conditions. At the end of the 20-day incubation, 96%, 58% and 38% of applied NH₄ ⁺-N was still present in the soil where ECC, ATC and DCD were used, respectively. Consequently, nitrification inhibition of applied fertilizer N in both arable crops and flooded rice systems could tremendously minimize N losses and help enhance fertilizer N-use efficiency. These results suggest that for reducing the nitrification rate and resultant N losses in flooded soil systems (e.g. rice lowlands), ECC is more effective than costly commercial NIs. Received: 25 May 2000     

Effect of ammonium thilosulfate and dicyandiamide on residual ammonium in fertilizer bands

Abstract

Ammonium thiosulfate (ATS, 12–0–0–26S) and dicyandiamide (DCD, 66–0–0) are fertilizer products that also inhibit nitrification. It has also been proposed that ATS can improve the nitrification inhibition properties of DCD. The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of ATS, DCD, and ATS/DCD mixtures on the nitrification of banded urea solution or urea‐ammonium nitrate (UAN) under laboratory, field microplot, and field conditions. The laboratory study demonstrated that adding 8.7% (vol vol^‐1) ATS to a urea solution inhibited nitrification by 68%. Inhibition of nitrification was greater with ATS + DCD than with DCD alone. Some nitrite accumulated when ATS was added, but little or no nitrite accumulated when both ATS and DCD were present In field microplot studies, the addition of ATS to urea solution significantly (P ≤ 0.10) increased residual soil ammonium levels over urea alone at six of 11 trials. ATS was usually a less effective nitrification inhibitor than was DCD, and ATS + DCD outperformed DCD at only one of 11 trials. In all three field trials, adding ATS to banded UAN solution led to increased residual ammonium levels. Again, ATS was less effective than DCD or nitrapyrin as a nitrification inhibitor, and no ATS/DCD synergism was observed. It was concluded that the use of ATS as a sulfur fertilizer in fluid fertilizer bands can lead to measurable inhibition of nitrification, but ATS was not as reliable as DCD or nitrapyrin.     

Dicyandiamide increases the fertilizer N loss from an alkaline calcareous soil treated with <Superscript>15</Superscript>N-labelled urea under warm climate and under different crops

Using an alkaline calcareous soil, experiments were conducted to elucidate the effects of nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on the fate of ¹⁵N-labelled urea applied to cotton, maize, and wheat under greenhouse conditions. Combined effects of DCD and two levels of wheat straw (applied to cotton) and of fertilizer application method (conventional broadcast vs. point injection in maize and wheat) on the recovery of the fertilizer N were also studied. High soil temperatures prevailed under cotton and maize, whereas the soil temperature was relatively moderate during the wheat growing season. The fertilizer N loss under cotton was lowest (44% of the applied) when urea was applied alone; the loss increased due to DCD (54%) or wheat straw (50–54%) and was highest (63–64%) when DCD and wheat straw were applied together. Under maize also, DCD increased the loss of the fertilizer N applied by the conventional method (51% without DCD vs. 66% with DCD) or by point injection (26% without DCD vs. 42% with DCD). With the conventional method under wheat, DCD had no effect on the fertilizer N loss (34–37% of the applied). The fertilizer N loss under wheat was least (16%) when urea solution was point-injected but increased (24–26%) due to DCD or/and when pH of the urea solution was reduced to 2. Besides, DCD significantly reduced the fertilizer N uptake and increased the fertilizer N immobilization in soil under cotton and maize. However, DCD applied in combination with a higher level of wheat straw significantly increased the cotton dry matter and N yields due to increased N availability from sources other than the fertilizer. The results suggested that the use of DCD may not be beneficial in alkaline calcareous soils and that point injection of urea solution without any amendment is more effective in conserving the fertilizer N as compared to the conventional broadcast method.     

Rice plant growth and nitrogen accumulation from a midseason application 1

Nitrogen (N) fertilization in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is extensive throughout the world, but fertilizer N recovery is generally low. Split fertilizer applications that coincide with plant demand have been suggested as a method of improving fertilizer N efficiency. However, the effectiveness of split applications has not been established. Furthermore, there is little information available on plant N accumulation after a midseason application. The purpose of this study was to measure plant dry matter, root growth, and N accumulation after a midseason N application and to determine the length of time during which midseason N is accumulated by the plant. ‘Cypress’ rice was drill‐seeded in a Crowley silt loam soil (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic Typic Albaqualf) and urea‐N was broadcast at 101 kg N ha^‐1 preflood. Microplots enclosed by retainers were established prior to panicle initiation (PI), and ^l5N‐labeled urea was topdressed at PI into the floodwater within each microplot at 67 kg N ha^‐1. Microplots were harvested at 1 day after topdress (DAT), 3 DAT.7DAT, 14 DAT, and at 90% heading (35 DAT). Dry matter production was not affected by the midseason N application and increased linearly from the time of midseason application until 90% heading. Root growth at the time of the midseason application was extensive and roots could be seen at the soil surface. Root length density was greatest in the top 7.5 cm of the soil profile and decreased with depth. Most accumulation of midseason N occurred within 7 DAT. Both midseason N and native N in the plant increased during this period. About half of the midseason N was accumulated by the crop, probably because of the extent of the root system. This approximates N recovery from preplant or preflood N applications. Nitrogen loss was probably due to ammonia (NH₃) volatilization. Nitrogen accumulation by the plants continued throughout the duration of the experiment. This study shows that N broadcast into the floodwater at PI is quickly and efficiently utilized.     

氮肥去向的研究--Ⅰ.稻田土壤中氮肥的去向

氮肥施入土壤后的去向,直接关系到作物增产和环境保护,是农业和环境科学研究中的基本资料。对氮肥去向的研究,以在田间条件下进行的意义比较大。因此,1978-1980年,我们在华东地区三种不同土壤上,采用田间微区¹⁵N示踪的方法,分别测定了施用于水稻和小麦的几种常用氮肥的去向,并以尿素为重点,研究了施肥方法、施肥时期、土壤水分状况以及硝化抑制剂等对氮肥去向的影响。所得结果将分别整理。本文是稻田试验方面的初步总结。     

尿素和KNO3对水稻土无机氮转化过程和产物的影响 Ⅰ无机氮转化过程

用15N分别标记尿素和KNO3,研究了淹水条件下 ,黄泥土和红壤性水稻土的无机氮转化过程及尿素和KNO3对氮素转化过程的影响。结果表明 ,淹水条件下 ,土壤中存在15NH 4 的成对硝化和反硝化过程。红壤性水稻土15NH 4 硝化只检测到15NO- 2 ,但有反硝化产物15N2 生成 ,因此 ,很可能存在着好气反硝化过程。15NO- 3浓度的下降符合一级反应方程 ,黄泥土的速率常数几乎是红壤性水稻土的 1 0倍。反硝化过程和DNRA过程共同参与15NO- 3的还原。加入尿素提高土壤pH ,增加黄泥土DNRA过程对反硝化过程的基质竞争能力 ,但反硝化过程仍占绝对优势。加入尿素或KNO3改变土壤pH是导致对无机氮转化影响有所不同的主要原因 ,浓度的作用较为次要。     

Effect of methods of application on the efficiency of urea broadcast onto lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Summary We evaluated the effect of different methods of application on the efficiency of urea broadcast at a rate of 100 kg N ha^-1 onto lowland rice (Oryza sativa L. var. SPR 60) in a field experiment conducted on a Phimai soil (Fluvic Tropaquepts) during the dry season of 1989. Analysis of the floodwater on the first day after the fertilizer application showed a high initial concentration of urea-N. Addition of the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT), broadcast with the urea into the floodwater, caused an apparent reduction in the rate of urea disappearance and a subsequent accumulation of NH₃–N in the floodwater; this ureas inhibitor also suppressed the rise in floodwater pH, with a resultant reduction in the partial pressure of ammonia (pNH₃) compared with the unamended urea application. The use of nBTPT did not decrease the N loss from broadcast urea not did it increase the grain yield. Among the different methods of applying broadcast urea that we tested, the broadcast application of granular urea onto drained soil shortly after removing floodwater followed by flooding 2 days later appeared to be a good N management practice, offering considerable potential for improving the efficiency of urea applied to lowland rice crops.