Background: The inefficient use of nitrogen (N) fertiliser as a consequence of N losses from soil is a pressing issue in broad-acre agricultural systems. The research reported here tested the hypothesis that granulation of synthetic N fertiliser (urea) with a natural organic C resource (brown coal) would reduce fertiliser N loss from the soil system.
Results: Urea-enriched brown coal granules were simultaneously formed and dried within a pilot-scale superheated steam dryer. After application to unplanted soil columns, the urea-brown coal granules reduced nitrous oxide emission by up to 40 %, reduced mineral nitrogen leaching and maintained higher levels of N in topsoil when compared to conventional urea alone. Reduced gaseous N losses without a reduction in plant N uptake were also observed in planted soil columns treated with urea-brown coal granules.
Conclusions: Brown coal-urea blended fertiliser showed potential for more efficient use of N in the long term and has environmental benefits in retaining more N in the soil.
|Number of pages||14|
|Journal||Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture|
|Publication status||Published - 2016|
- Controlled-release fertiliser
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Nitrous oxide
- Soil enhancement
- Superheated steam drying