Nitrogen Stabilizers Go A Long Way In Limiting Nutrient Loss
Jun 25, 2020
Mother Nature constantly works against you when you’re trying to make nitrogen (N) available to your rice and corn crops. Fortunately there are some quality N stabilizers available that can help you keep the coveted nutrient in your soil profile long enough for your crops to access it.
“There are a couple different factors that cause N loss that growers throughout the South are always wary of ,” explains Cullen Minter , territory business manager for Koch Agronomic Services (Koch) in Louisiana and the Texas Coastal Plains. “High temperatures , wet soils and windy conditions lead to volatilization , and heavy precipitation can lead to denitrification and leaching. N loss will happen quickly in any of these environments unless you take the right step to slow it down.”
While corn most actively consumes N when filling ears and building yield , it’s important not to deprive your crop of N at any time during the growing season. N is equally crucial in rice , as an adequate supply is especially needed when plants are determining tiller count and the length of each panicle.
“Applying the right N stabilizer can go a long way in buying more time for N to be available for both crops ,” Minter says. “ANVOL™ and CENTURO™ nitrogen stabilizers and SUPERU® fertilizer are great tools for mitigating N loss , which can help provide a better return on your fertilizer investment. But depending on how you manage your crop and how you apply N , you’ll likely find that one will be a better fit for your operation.”
ANVOL Offers Long-Term Volatilization Protection
ANVOL features two active ingredients – NBPT and Duromide. NBPT blocks the hydrolysis of urea as soon as it’s applied. Duromide takes over to extend the window of protection offered by NBPT — giving fertilizer more time to incorporate in the soil. Applied with either urea or UAN , its high active ingredient concentration enables a low application rate for more efficient coating operations.
“ANVOL is an excellent product for conventional flood rice , as ammonia volatilization can lead to a significant amount of N loss right after you make pre-flood fertilizer applications. The timing of the pre-flood applications coincides with hot and humid weather in the southern rice production areas , which hasten volatilization loss” Minter says. “For that reason , a lot of growers use it on first and second rice crops , alike.”
In a 2016 Louisiana State University rice trial , ANVOL reduced cumulative ammonia loss to 12 percent , compared to losses of more than 30 percent with untreated urea.1 When it comes to boosting corn yield , results from trials across eight site years with locations in Virginia , Kentucky , Illinois and Tennessee showed that ANVOL reduced nitrogen loss and boosted yields by an average of 31 bu/acre compared to untreated urea.2
SUPERU Protects Against All Three Forms of N Loss
SUPERU has the highest concentration of N available in a stabilized , urea-based granule , and contains urease and nitrification inhibitors NBPT and DCD to protect nitrogen from volatilization , denitrification and leaching. In fact , Koch’s proprietary technology integrates the active ingredients evenly into every granule.
“Since surface-applied urea is highly susceptible to volatilization , SUPERU is a great fit for corn , cotton , hay , and furrow-irrigated rice , which is often planted in rotation behind other Delta row crops ,” Minter advises. “And since it takes only seven to 10 days for ammonium to convert to the nitrate form , its nitrification inhibition properties also make it a unique and versatile product. With any crop , denitrification becomes a major concern once the soil becomes saturated creating an anaerobic soil environment and the temperature is consistently higher than 75 degrees F. At that point , you can lose 4 to 5 percent of your N per day if you’re not using an inhibitor.”
In addition to preserving more N for crops , SUPERU minimizes potential losses to nearby water sources. A study to assess the impact of urease and nitrification inhibitors on nitrogen loss was conducted under rain-fed conditions in Glyndon , MN. Results showed that SUPERU fertilizer reduced calculated cumulative nitrate leaching by 30 percent.3
CENTURO Designed for Anhydrous Ammonia & UAN Applications
CENTURO is a nitrification inhibitor for anhydrous ammonia and UAN 32% that provides highly effective below-ground N protection. Featuring the patented active ingredient Pronitridine , CENTURO can be used on corn , cotton , sugarcane and rice among other crops. It offers unequaled flexibility in an easy-to-handle solution that is noncorrosive to the metals used with UAN and anhydrous ammonia equipment.
“In this area , growers often have a false sense of security when knifing-in UAN through a side-dress injection ,” Minter says. “A quarter of UAN’s makeup is in the nitrate form , which is susceptible to loss right away. And three-quarters of it is ammonium based , which can convert to the nitrate form in a week and a half or less. But including CENTURO in your application delays volatilization , leaching and denitrification and will hold nitrogen in the ammonium form three times longer than without an inhibitor.4 This is an important benefit in areas where there’s always a chance of big rains coming through and washing N out of the root zone.”
Third-party research studies conducted in Illinois , Missouri and Nebraska in 2016 and 2017 , shows that CENTURO improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in anhydrous ammonia by up to 25 percent.5
The only thing worse than your N investment floating off into the atmosphere or washing out of your fields is the negative impact it has on your yield potential. To protect that investment , contact your local GreenPoint AG specialist. They’ll make sure you select the right N stabilization technology for your fields.
“There are a couple different factors that cause N loss that growers throughout the South are always wary of ,” explains Cullen Minter , territory business manager for Koch Agronomic Services (Koch) in Louisiana and the Texas Coastal Plains. “High temperatures , wet soils and windy conditions lead to volatilization , and heavy precipitation can lead to denitrification and leaching. N loss will happen quickly in any of these environments unless you take the right step to slow it down.”
While corn most actively consumes N when filling ears and building yield , it’s important not to deprive your crop of N at any time during the growing season. N is equally crucial in rice , as an adequate supply is especially needed when plants are determining tiller count and the length of each panicle.
“Applying the right N stabilizer can go a long way in buying more time for N to be available for both crops ,” Minter says. “ANVOL™ and CENTURO™ nitrogen stabilizers and SUPERU® fertilizer are great tools for mitigating N loss , which can help provide a better return on your fertilizer investment. But depending on how you manage your crop and how you apply N , you’ll likely find that one will be a better fit for your operation.”
ANVOL Offers Long-Term Volatilization Protection
ANVOL features two active ingredients – NBPT and Duromide. NBPT blocks the hydrolysis of urea as soon as it’s applied. Duromide takes over to extend the window of protection offered by NBPT — giving fertilizer more time to incorporate in the soil. Applied with either urea or UAN , its high active ingredient concentration enables a low application rate for more efficient coating operations.
“ANVOL is an excellent product for conventional flood rice , as ammonia volatilization can lead to a significant amount of N loss right after you make pre-flood fertilizer applications. The timing of the pre-flood applications coincides with hot and humid weather in the southern rice production areas , which hasten volatilization loss” Minter says. “For that reason , a lot of growers use it on first and second rice crops , alike.”
In a 2016 Louisiana State University rice trial , ANVOL reduced cumulative ammonia loss to 12 percent , compared to losses of more than 30 percent with untreated urea.1 When it comes to boosting corn yield , results from trials across eight site years with locations in Virginia , Kentucky , Illinois and Tennessee showed that ANVOL reduced nitrogen loss and boosted yields by an average of 31 bu/acre compared to untreated urea.2
SUPERU Protects Against All Three Forms of N Loss
SUPERU has the highest concentration of N available in a stabilized , urea-based granule , and contains urease and nitrification inhibitors NBPT and DCD to protect nitrogen from volatilization , denitrification and leaching. In fact , Koch’s proprietary technology integrates the active ingredients evenly into every granule.
“Since surface-applied urea is highly susceptible to volatilization , SUPERU is a great fit for corn , cotton , hay , and furrow-irrigated rice , which is often planted in rotation behind other Delta row crops ,” Minter advises. “And since it takes only seven to 10 days for ammonium to convert to the nitrate form , its nitrification inhibition properties also make it a unique and versatile product. With any crop , denitrification becomes a major concern once the soil becomes saturated creating an anaerobic soil environment and the temperature is consistently higher than 75 degrees F. At that point , you can lose 4 to 5 percent of your N per day if you’re not using an inhibitor.”
In addition to preserving more N for crops , SUPERU minimizes potential losses to nearby water sources. A study to assess the impact of urease and nitrification inhibitors on nitrogen loss was conducted under rain-fed conditions in Glyndon , MN. Results showed that SUPERU fertilizer reduced calculated cumulative nitrate leaching by 30 percent.3
CENTURO Designed for Anhydrous Ammonia & UAN Applications
CENTURO is a nitrification inhibitor for anhydrous ammonia and UAN 32% that provides highly effective below-ground N protection. Featuring the patented active ingredient Pronitridine , CENTURO can be used on corn , cotton , sugarcane and rice among other crops. It offers unequaled flexibility in an easy-to-handle solution that is noncorrosive to the metals used with UAN and anhydrous ammonia equipment.
“In this area , growers often have a false sense of security when knifing-in UAN through a side-dress injection ,” Minter says. “A quarter of UAN’s makeup is in the nitrate form , which is susceptible to loss right away. And three-quarters of it is ammonium based , which can convert to the nitrate form in a week and a half or less. But including CENTURO in your application delays volatilization , leaching and denitrification and will hold nitrogen in the ammonium form three times longer than without an inhibitor.4 This is an important benefit in areas where there’s always a chance of big rains coming through and washing N out of the root zone.”
Third-party research studies conducted in Illinois , Missouri and Nebraska in 2016 and 2017 , shows that CENTURO improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in anhydrous ammonia by up to 25 percent.5
The only thing worse than your N investment floating off into the atmosphere or washing out of your fields is the negative impact it has on your yield potential. To protect that investment , contact your local GreenPoint AG specialist. They’ll make sure you select the right N stabilization technology for your fields.