scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment and Soil Nitrogen Balance of Different N Fertilizers for Top Dressing Rye as Energy Crop for Electricity Generation

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 844
Author(s):  
Carlos Martín Sastre ◽  
Ruth Barro ◽  
Yolanda González-Arechavala ◽  
Ana Santos-Montes ◽  
Pilar Ciria

Nitrogen fertilizers have been identified in energy crops LCAs as the main contributors to global warming, as well as to many other environmental impacts. The distinct production process and application emissions of nitrogen fertilizer types for top dressing produce different GHG savings when energy crops value chains are compared to fossil energy alternatives. In this study, three types of fertilizers (calcium ammonium nitrate, urea and ammonium sulphate) at N top dressing rates of 80 kg N/ha are used to grow rye for electricity generation under the conditions of the Continental Mediterranean climate of central-northern Spain. Complete LCAs for the whole value chain based on real data were performed in conjunction with soil nitrogen balances (SNBs) to assess the accomplishment of European Union (EU) GHG savings sustainability criteria, as well as the sustainability of fertilization practices for soil nitrogen stocks. The results obtained can provide interesting insights for policy making, since calcium ammonium nitrate, the most common fertilizer for rye crops, led to 66% GHG savings, as opposed to the 69% achieved when applying urea and 77% when ammonium sulphate was used. Nevertheless, the three fertilizers produced annual soil deficits greater than 50 kg N/ha. In order to ensure savings above 80%, as required by the EU sustainability criteria, and sustainable SNBs, additional optimization measures should be taken at key points of the value chain.

1968 ◽  
Vol 8 (32) ◽  
pp. 301 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Simpson

A comparison was made of the responses to, and nitrogen recoveries from, ammonium sulphate, sodium nitrate, and urea when broadcast on a ryegrass sward in a favourable growing season. A second comparison was made, in a drier season on the same sward, between ammonium sulphate, sodium nitrate, urea, calcium ammonium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate. In both comparisons urea was an inefficient source of nitrogen, but its efficiency depended on the time of application. Differences in the rainfall shortly after application probably caused this variation in efficiency, by affecting the amounts of ammonia lost to the atmosphere. With sources other than urea, variation in the length of time during which the fertilizer remained at the soil surface, awaiting effective rainfall and plant uptake, had little effect on the final recovery of nitrogen. Ammonium sulphate, calcium ammonium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate showed similar efficiencies during the relatively dry season in which they were compared. Sodium nitrate was the most efficient source in both seasons.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (77) ◽  
pp. 823 ◽  
Author(s):  
MG Mason ◽  
WJ Toms

Wheat was grown for twelve successive years at three sites with five rates of nitrogen either as calcium ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate or urea applied each year to the same plots. There was a long term yield decline, with and without nitrogen, on the site at Wongan Hills, but not at Merredin or Beverley. At each of the three sites there was no indication of a need for higher rates of nitrogen fertilizers with time to maintain yields. At Wongan Hills and Merredin, yields were depressed in most years when the highest rate of ammonium sulphate was used each year. Grain protein contents were low and did not decrease with time.


1978 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-360
Author(s):  
Antti Jaakkola

In a five-year field experiment on a well-limed sandy soil five nitrogen fertilizers were compared. They were urea, ammonium sulphate, calcium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate and a mixture of ammonium sulphate and calcium nitrate. The crops in successive years were spring wheat, winter rye, winter wheat, spring wheat and winter rye. The average yield level was not different because of different fertilizers, but in individual years some differences were found. Average contents of nitrogen and calcium in grain and straw, however, showed a slight superiority of calcium nitrate to ammonium sulphate. Other fertilizers did not deviate significantly from either of these. Placement vs. broadcasting, application time and rate of fertilizer nitrogen were also investigated. These factors did not affect the differences between fertilizers. The soil-acidifying effect of the fertilizers decreased in the order: ammonium sulphate, urea, mixture of AS and CN, calcium ammonium nitrate. Calcium nitrate had no effect on soil acidity.


Author(s):  
M.D. Craighead ◽  
J.A. Hayward ◽  
A.M. Howie

Since 1994 Ravensdown have carried out a series of pastoral trials in South Canterbury, aimed at looking at the relative effectiveness of different forms of nitrogen in the spring. These trials showed that in general those N products containing some nitrate-N (i.e., calcium ammonium nitrate - CAN, and ammonium sulphate nitrate - ASN) could be more effective than urea and ammonium sulphate when soil temperatures were low. However, responses were inconsistent because of spring climatic conditions. In 1994 and 1996 CAN produced the most dry matter but in 1995, responses to the form of N were less clear. Responses to nitrate-N were generally best when spring soil temperatures were 3-5°C at the time of application. The magnitude of N responses varied with the rate applied, and the type of pasture to which N was applied. Responses generally lasted the equivalent of two to three grazings. Keywords: ammonium-N, ammonium sulphate, ammonium sulphate nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, nitrate fertilisers, nitrate-N, urea


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1334
Author(s):  
Niharika Rahman ◽  
Catarina Henke ◽  
Patrick J. Forrestal

The efficacy of the new nitrification inhibitor 3,4 dimethylpyrazol succinic acid (DMPSA) was tested with calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and ammonium sulphate (AS) fertilisers in an incubation experiment using a sandy loam soil and a sandy textured soil. The experiment was conducted over 80 days. For AS fertiliser, inclusion of DMPSA resulted in significantly less NO3−-N present after 19 days in both soils. In the case of CAN, inclusion of DMPSA resulted in significantly less NO3−-N present after 45 days in the sandy loam soil and after 30 days in the sandy soil. DMPSA is effective nitrification inhibitor when combined with CAN and AS, with a mean reduction of 61% and 58%, respectively, in the average daily nitrification rate over the study period. Over the 80-day incubation period in the sandy loam soil, only 35% NH4+-N was converted to NO3−-N for AS + DMPSA compared to 88% for AS. In the sandy soil, 92% NH4+-N was converted to NO3−-N for AS compared with only 9% for AS + DMPSA by day 80. The results demonstrate that DMPSA is an effective nitrification inhibitor when combined with CAN and AS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-66
Author(s):  
Imdad Ali Mahmood ◽  
Muhammad Arshad Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Riaz Chatha ◽  
Muhammad Suhaib

A field study was conducted to investigate the effect of different N fertilizer sources (urea, nitrophos, ammonium sulphate and calcium ammonium nitrate) on the productivity of wheat (var. Inqlab) in naturally salt-affected soil (pH = 8.79; ECe = 6.46; Sandy loam). A significant difference was observed in wheat grain and straw yield with the application of different N sources. Maximum wheat grain and straw yields (3203 and 3489 kg/ha, respectively) were recorded when ammonium sulphate was applied. Various N sources followed the order: Ammonium sulphate > urea > calcium ammonium nitrate and/or nitrophos. Comparatively higher N uptake by wheat (117.26 and 114.00 kg/ha) was observed with Ammonium sulphate and urea application, respectively. Similarly, maximum N recovery was observed with both these N sources followed by nitrophos, and calcium ammonium nitrate. However, the highest physiological efficiency (14.29 kg/kg fertilizer applied) was noted with the application of ammonium sulphate.  


1963 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Devine ◽  
M. R. J. Holmes

1. Twenty-one experiments were carried out in various parts of England and Scotland in 1959–61 comparing two or more of the nitrogen sources ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate and urea, combine-drilled in compound fertilizers for spring barley.2. Ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate combine-drilled at rates from 35 to 105 lb./acre of nitrogen checked early growth slightly in some of the experiments, with no important difference between the two sources, which also gave similar grain yields.3. Calcium nitrate and urea combine-drilled at 45 lb./acre of nitrogen had no large effect on early growth, while at 70 and 90 lb./acre both fertilizers seriously delayed brairding and reduced the plant population in many of the experiments, especially in eastern England. They gave lower yields than ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate in many of the experiments in which early growth was affected, and gave lower mean yields at all rates of application.4. In eleven of the experiments, broadcast applications of two or more of the four nitrogen fertilizers were compared. All sources gave similar mean yields.5. There was a slightly smaller yield from combine drilling than from broadcasting ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate, and a markedly smaller yield from calcium nitrate and urea.


1967 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. R. Gasser ◽  
A. Penny

Urea nitrate, urea phosphate, and a mixture of urea phosphate and urea were tested as nitrogen fertilizers to find whether the presence of the anion decreases the damage urea causes to germinating seeds and seedlings and increases the efficiency of urea by preventing loss of ammonia.Urea nitrate was compared with ammonium sulphate for grass grown in pots in the glasshouse and with ammonium nitrate for permanent grassland in the field. In the glasshouse, a large dressing of urea nitrate damaged the early growth of grass in sandy-loam soil. On average of sandy-loam and clay-loam soils with a small dressing of fertilizers, grass recovered similar amounts of N from urea nitrate and ammonium sulphate; with the large dressing it recovered less from urea nitrate.In the field, 100 and 200 lb N/acre were applied to permanent grassland which was cut twice. The herbage was ‘scorched’ by the urea nitrate because its solution is very acid. Urea nitrate at 200 lb N/acre produced less dry matter containing less nitrogen than did ammonium nitrate.Urea nitrate, urea phosphate and urea phosphateurea mixture were compared with ammonium nitrate for barley and grass grown in clay-loam and sandyloam soils. Tests were made of 33, 67 and 100 lb N/acre for barley and 100, 200 and 300 lb N/acre for ryegrass; the fertilizers were applied immediately before sowing. On the light Woburn soil early growth of barley was least good with urea nitrate, which also damaged the early growth of grass.


1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. P. Meelu ◽  
S. Saggar ◽  
M. S. Maskina ◽  
R. S. Rekhi

SummaryThe results of four field experiments conducted for 2 or 3 years on two soils, loamy sand (Typic Ustipsamments) and silty clay loam (Natric Ustochrept) showed that in rice, application of N in three equal amounts was more efficient than one or two applications, irrespective of source of N and type of soil. The results further showed that application of the first dose of N 7 days after transplanting rice was more beneficial than its application at transplanting. Calcium ammonium nitrate was significantly inferior to urea and/or ammonium sulphate for rice in both soils. There were no significant differences in wheat yield, N concentration or uptake due to time and source of N application.


1972 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-189
Author(s):  
S. R. Mahadik

SUMMARYIn this investigation the largest amount of nitrogen used, 44 kg per hectare, increased leaf size, yield and amount of nicotine in the leaf. The three carriers of N had similar effects on growth and yield at each amount applied but calcium ammonium nitrate produced tobacco inferior in quality to that with ammonium sulphate and urea. Increasing topping height from 8 to 10 and to 12 leaves increased the total leaf area per plant and yields, delayed maturity and lowered the quality of the tobacco. The greatest yield was produced by using 44 kg of N and topping at 12 leaves, but the best quality resulted from using 44 kg of N and topping at 8 leaves.


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