Journal article
Ammonia volatilization from nitrogen fertilizers applied to cereals in two cropping areas of southern Australia
DA Turner, RE Edis, D Chen, JR Freney, OT Denmead
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems | SPRINGER | Published : 2012
Abstract
As farmers in southern Australia typically apply nitrogen (N) to cereal crops by top-dressing with ammonia (NH 3) based fertilizer in late winter or early spring there is the potential for large losses of NH 3. This paper describes the results of micrometeorological measurements to determine NH 3 loss and emission factors following applications of urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), and ammonium sulfate (AS) at different rates to cereal crops at two locations in southern Australia. The amounts of NH 3 lost are required for farm economics and management, whilst emission factors are needed for inventory purposes. Ammonia loss varied with fertilizer type (urea > UAN > AS) and location, and range..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (formerly the Australian Greenhouse Office) through a Grains Research and Development Corporation grant. The authors would like to thank Incitec Pivot for supplying fertilizers, Rob Christie for his support in the selection of field sites and establishing and applying treatments, and Liam Norton for technical assistance.