ABSTRACT Quantification of ammonia volatilization after addition of animal residues and nitrogen (N) mineral fertilizers to the soil is important for N management in fertilization programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding a urease inhibitor to N fertilizers to minimize ammonia losses following soil application. The experiment was carried out in a laboratory with samples of a Brazilian Oxisol containing 790 g kg-1 clay and 23 g kg-1 organic matter. Treatments consisted of addition […]

Nitrogen supplementation has been an important means for increasing yield in tropical gramineous forage plants in Brazil because, in most growing areas, the levels of this nutrient in the soil do not adequately meet crop needs. We assessed the effect of different sources and application rates of N on the chemical properties of an Oxisol (Latossolo Amarelo) and the production of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça. The experiment was carried out at the Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo (State of Espirito […]

Ammonia volatilization is an important process of N loss which decreases the use efficiency of N by plants when urea is applied on the soil surface. To overcome this problem, some chemical compounds were mixed with urea to inhibit the urease action. The purpose of this study was to compare applications of an alternative fertilizer with urease inhibitor to reduce ammonia volatilization with conventional urea, under certain environmental and soil conditions. Four experiments were carried out in 2007 and 2008, […]

Leaching of N added to soils as ammonium or as other forms that transform into it depends partially on nitrification because ammonium is retained by the soil negative charges, while nitrate remains completely in the soil solution. Since the decrease of the soil pH at fertilized sites can negatively affect nitrification, our study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding an acidifying phosphate together with nitrogen fertilizers on nitrogen leaching in an acid soil. The experiment was carried out in […]

Two field experiments were carried out with corn, using no-tillage system (NTS) over oat residues, in a clay dark-red latosol at the Centro de Pesquisa Novartis – Seeds, in Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and conventional tillage system over soybean residues (CTS), in a sandy red-yellow latosol at the Santa Terezinha farm, Uberlândia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the NH3-N volatilized from nitrogen sources, side-dressed applications, of approximately 100 kg ha-1, applied in the middle of […]