Improved yields with better nitrogen uptake

22 November 2011

Improved yields with better nitrogen uptake

Farmers using urea treated with a urease inhibitor can expect a better nitrogen boost to pasture and crops providing farmers more flexibility, according to independent research conducted by AgResearch.

The recent research demonstrated that Ballance Agri-Nutrient’s SustaiN Green product, which is urea treated with the urease inhibitor Agrotain, offers farmers more flexibility to apply nitrogen when it’s needed most or when it suits them better, even if the weather or soil conditions are not optimal.

Urea is most common form of nitrogen fertiliser in New Zealand and promotes rapid pasture and plant growth. However, nitrogen uptake can be weather-dependent with farmers trying to time applications to coincide with rain so the nitrogen gets quickly into the soil.

Ballance Head of Research and Environment Warwick Catto says without rain, urea tends to convert rapidly to ammonium (ammonia volatilisation) which reduces its effectiveness and also raises the soil pH.

“SustaiN Green has shown increased yields compared with standard urea. And because Agrotain-treated urea is less volatile, it gives farmers more flexibility,” Mr Catto says.

“Typically farmers need to watch the weather carefully before they apply urea and hope they get good rainfall within a couple of days to ensure the nitrogen is diffused into the soil away from the surface.”

Mr Catto says years of research show many factors that influence nitrogen loss.

“The rate of application, level of rainfall and low soil moisture all contribute to ammonia volatilisation.

“So if there’s little rainfall after application, nitrogen loss will increase. This is where SustaiN Green can produce major benefits for farmers.”

Ballance Sales and Marketing General Manager Graeme Smith says while the price of SustaiN Green is slightly more than the company’s standard urea price, there are still savings to be made from reduced nitrogen loss and returns via better production.

“It has very real benefits for farmers, producing more pasture leading to more milk for dairy farmers and increased live weight for sheep and beef producers.

“Our team can model different farming circumstances with land and weather variables to demonstrate the actual cost benefits of using SustaiN Green which can be many thousands of dollars,” Mr Smith says.

This is because typical ammonia volatilisation losses under normal pastoral use of nitrogen application – 30-50 kg/ha – are between 10-15 percent of the total applied. However, losses through ammonia volatilisation can be as high as 50 percent.

Agrotain is used in 70 countries in increasing volumes in a range of farming situations, including on pasture and maize. Most agriculture states in America now recommend Agrotain as a preferred nitrogen strategy.

ENDS

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