AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer is the original, most research-proven urease inhibitor technology on the market. With 20 years of trials and real-world results on millions of acres worldwide, it’s the one growers trust to protect their nitrogen investment and yield potential every time.
You might think that when nitrogen fertilizer is in the ground, it's safe. New research suggests you need to think again. When shallow banding unprotected urea less than two inches deep, researchers found that nitrogen loss due to ammonia volatilization can be even greater than unprotected broadcast urea.
Research by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada showed that when untreated urea was placed in bands two inches below the surface, nitrogen loss due to ammonia volatilization was more than 25% (Figure 1). Additional moisture below the soil caused the incorporated urea to dissolve and hydrolyze quicker, releasing more ammonia gas.
Lost nitrogen can have an impact on your yield and return on investment. Research conducted on canola at sites across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba showed that protecting shallow-banded urea with AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer resulted in a 5 bu/acre average yield advantage compared to shallow-banded unprotected urea (Figure 2).
AGROTAIN® DRI-MAXX stabilizer is proven to control nitrogen loss from volatilization, ensuring that your nitrogen investment remains readily available for plant uptake. Protect your nitrogen investment, yield potential and return on investment with AGROTAIN® DRI-MAXX nitrogen stabilizer today.
When it comes to putting seed in the ground, the earlier the better. With AGROTAIN® DRI-MAXX nitrogen stabilizer you can make the most of seeding time, increase operational efficiency by up to 40% or more and protect nitrogen from ammonia volatilization. It’s as easy as taking these steps:
1.) Remove nitrogen from your air tank at seeding. 2.) Broadcast urea protected with AGROTAIN® DRI-MAXX nitrogen stabilizer either before or after planting.
These two measures will not only improve your seeding efficiency but also help protect your return on investment. New research shows that broadcasting urea protected by AGROTAIN® stabilizer provided a 7 bu/acre average yield advantage compared to unprotected broadcast urea. Broadcasting AGROTAIN® treated urea also outperformed shallow banded and deep banded urea.
A recent study by Dr. Rick Engel proved that surface-applied urea still loses a significant amount of nitrogen due to ammonia volatilization in cold weather, even under freezing conditions. High ammonia volatilization loss under cold conditions was mainly related to high soil moisture and soil pH.
Fortunately, that same study also showed AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer protects against this cold weather loss. At one location, untreated urea lost about 44% of its nitrogen through ammonia volatilization after nine weeks (63 days) while urea treated with AGROTAIN® stabilizer only lost about 12%.
• Silt loam soil (pH 8.3) • Precipitation of 0.8 in between 0–9 weeks • Nitrogen rate of 99.7 kg N/ha • Fertilizer applied on February 26 • AGROTAIN® stabilizer applied at label rate • Soil temperature was about 0° C at the day of application • Campaign 10 • Source: Engel et al., 2011. Montana State University.
Just how much of a problem is ammonia volatilization? Results from a number of university research studies have shown that nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization can be up to 40% of your applied nitrogen. However, when urea was treated with AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer, only about 10% of the applied nitrogen was lost.
Here's how it works: When granular urea and liquid UAN fertilizers are surface applied, the urease enzyme breaks apart the urea nitrogen. AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer reduces the activity of urease enzymes. This process consumes hydrogen ions (H+) in the soil, increasing pH values up to 9.0 or higher in the surrounding soil. As a result, there is a shift in the balance between ammonium (NH4+) and ammonia (NH3). [See Figure 2] By slowing this activity, the soil has the ability to resist changes in the pH in the immediate vicinity of the urea, resulting in a lower ammonia volatilization loss and an optimal crop yield potential.
Cumulative ammonia volatilization loss from untreated urea and AGROTAIN® treated urea.
Figure 1. Cumulative ammonia volatilization loss from untreated urea and AGROTAIN® ULTRA treated urea.
Figure 2. Equilibrium between ammonium (NH4+) and ammonia (NH3) at different soil pH levels.
• Source: Franzen et al, 2010; Kelly, 2009; Holcomb et al, 2010 and Holt, 2008.