Ammonia volatilization from synthetic fertilizers and its mitigation strategies: A global synthesis

Abstract

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is a major pathway of nitrogen (N) loss in agricultural systems worldwide, and is conducive to low fertilizer N use efficiency, environmental and health issues, and indirect nitrous oxide emission. While mitigating NH3 volatilization is urgently needed, a quantitative synthesis is lacking to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation strategies for NH3 volatilization from synthetic fertilizers applied in agricultural systems. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of 824 observations on impacts on NH3 volatilization of ‘4R Nutrient Stewardship’ (right source, rate, place and time), farming practices (irrigation, residue retention, amendments), and..