Ammonia volatilization from soils fertilized with urea and varying rates of urease inhibitor NBPT

Loss of N as ammonia (NH3) from surface-applied urea fertilizer may be high if hydrolysis takes place at the soil surface. The urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) may reduce NH3 loss from urea by delaying hydrolysis. Field studies using surface chambers were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to compare the amount of NH3 volatilized from surface applications of granular urea (100 kg N ha(-1)) treated with varying concentrations of NBPT (0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15% NBPT wt/wt). The studies were conducted on two Orthic Black Chernozemic soils, a Stockton fine sandy loam and a Newdale clay loam, in May and again in July to determine the relative influence of soil texture and temperature on NBPT performance at the varying rates. Ammonia losses were measured at various times to 12 d after fertilization (DAF) in 1996 and to 21 DAF in 1997. Total NH3 losses decreased in the order of 0% > 0.05% > 0.15% > 0.10% where use of NBPT reduced total NH3 loss by 28-88% over the entire study duration, and by 82 to 96% during periods of peak loss from unamended urea. Ammonia volatilization losses from NBPT-amended urea treatments were lower in May than in July. The total loss measured at all rates of NBPT was higher for the fine sandy loam soil except in May 1997 where cool conditions resulted in slightly lower loss than for the clay loam soil. Amending urea with NBPT at a rate as low as 0.05% wt/wt can reduce NH3 loss from surface-placed urea fertilizer, so that a greater proportion of fertilizer N is retained in the soil for plant use. The inhibitor helps reduce the amount of NH3 derived from urea entering the atmosphere to react or to be deposited elsewhere, and may lessen the need to overfertilize to compensate for potential NH3 losses.