Use of NBPT-DCD formulated urea to reduce N2O emissions and N losses from fall banded fertilizer

Abstract

A two-year field study and two incubation studies were conducted to evaluate incorporating urea with a urease and nitrification inhibitor to reduce N2O and N losses from fall banded fertilizer. In each year of the field experiment, five fertilizer treatments (fall banded NBPT-DCD urea, conventional urea, calcium nitrate, spring banded conventional urea and control) were applied at three sites. The effect of incorporating urease and nitrification inhibitors with urea was not consistent in our studies. The application of fall banded NBPT and DCD did not result in greater agronomic performance. Moreover, the addition of inhibitors to urea did not reduce nitrous oxide emissions in the field. The addition of inhibitors resulted in significantly less cumulative nitrous oxide emissions compared to conventional urea in only one of two laboratory experiments. In conditions where fertilizer was not generally susceptible to large losses, the effects of urease and nitrification inhibitors may not be evident.