Reduced nitrogen loss

A large pulse of NH₃ was measured from the uncoated urea treatment over the first 96 hours (figure 1) clearly demonstrating how urea can transform quickly to NH₃ on application to turf. eqo.s coated urea showed NH₃ volatilisation to a much lower extent, rising more slowly to 72 hours and then remaining relatively consistent for the duration of the experiment (18 days).

Figure 1. NH₃ emissions over a 18-day period from 2 fertiliser treatments. Values represent means ± SEM (n = 4).

An examination of the cumulative NH₃ emissions clearly illustrates the difference between uncoated and coated urea over the 18 day experimental period (figure 2), the NH₃ release from urea happens quickly and then evens off as the N source solubilises, whereas eqo.s coated urea shows a significantly (P<0.01) lower NH₃ emission, linearly increasing over the experimental period. With less nitrogen lost to volatilisation more is available for supporting plant growth and development. Only 2.4% of the nitrogen applied as eqo.s was lost through NH₃ volatilisation, a 58% reduction from uncoated urea.

Figure 2. Cumulative NH₃ emissions over 18-day period. Values represent means ± SEM (n = 4).