Nitrogen Fertilizers

Of all the essential nutrients, nitrogen (N) is the nutrient that normally produces the greatest yield response in crop plants, promoting rapid vegetative growth and giving the plant a healthy green color. And yet it is also the nutrient that most often limits crop growth. Choosing the right nitrogen fertilizer will reward crops with better growth, and reward growers with better returns.

Role of Nitrogen

Nitrogen is an important component of many essential structural, genetic, and metabolic compounds in plant cells. It is also an elementary constituent of numerous important organic compounds including amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, and the chlorophyll molecule. It is clear to see why it is essential to ensure crops have access to sufficient nitrogen.

Plant roots take up nitrogen in its inorganic forms, nitrate (NO₃^–) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) ions. Once inside the plant, NO₃ is reduced to the NH₂ form and is assimilated to form the organic compounds.

Nitrogen is not always recommended for legume crops such as soybean, since they manufacture their own nitrogen supply. Nitrogen-fixing soil organisms (rhizobium) associated with the roots of legumes capture atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the plant. However, although soybeans can fix atmospheric nitrogen with the help of symbiotic bacteria (rhizobia), they still benefit from nitrogen inputs, especially in high-yield production systems to support growth and seed development.

What role does Nitrogen play in plant growth?

Nitrogen is indispensable for plant growth and development, impacting fundamental physiological processes that ensure healthy growth, efficient photosynthesis, and robust reproductive success. Ensuring adequate nitrogen availability is crucial for optimizing crop yields and quality in agricultural production. It can directly impact crop productivity and yield, specifically:

• Vegetative Growth: Nitrogen promotes vigorous vegetative growth, including leaf expansion, stem elongation, and overall plant size. This is essential for maximizing photosynthetic capacity and biomass production.
• Protein Synthesis: Nitrogen is a key component of proteins, enzymes, and chlorophyll molecules. Proteins are essential for various cellular functions, enzyme activities, and structural components within plants.
• Crop Quality: Adequate N levels contribute to improved crop quality by enhancing nutrient content, such as protein levels in grains and oil content in oilseeds.
• Photosynthesis: Nitrogen is crucial for chlorophyll production, which is essential for photosynthesis. Enhanced photosynthetic efficiency leads to increased carbohydrate production, supporting plant growth and yield.
• Stress Tolerance: Nitrogen helps plants withstand environmental stresses such as drought, diseases, and pest attacks by maintaining physiological processes and improving resilience.
• Yield Potential: Proper N management can significantly increase crop yields by optimizing plant growth, reproductive development, and grain fill.

Symptoms of Nitrogen Deficiency

Plants lacking N have very slow growth and look weak and stunted. Older leaves have a light green or yellow color. Since N is mobile in the plant and moves to where it is needed, these older and lower leaves are always first to show symptoms of deficiency. Learn more about N deficiency.

What are effective nitrogen management practices?

Managing N deficiency effectively on the farm involves several key practices for optimizing crop health and productivity:

1. • Start with Soil Testing: Regularly assessing N levels and soil pH gives us the foundation to make informed decisions about fertilizer applications tailored to our crops’ needs.
   • Embrace Precision: Precision agriculture techniques, like using soil maps and sensor data for variable rate applications, help minimize waste and environmental impact while maximizing nutrient uptake. Split applications throughout the growing season ensure N is available when crops need it most, supporting steady growth and minimizing losses to leaching or runoff.
   • Choose Smart Fertilizers: Opt for controlled-release fertilizers such as Agrocote, Agriform or Agroblen. These gradually release nitrogen, matching crops’ growth stages and reducing nutrient loss. This approach ensures a steady supply of N over time, supporting consistent crop development.
   • Innovate with Fertigation: Fertigation—applying nutrients through irrigation—directly to the root zone with solutions from Nova and Agrolution, boosts efficiency and minimizes runoff. It’s a precise method that ensures plants receive N precisely when they need it, optimizing uptake and minimizing environmental impact.
   • Enhance Efficiency: Incorporate nitrification inhibitors and amendments like BIOZ Diamond 10-0-1 and Polysulphate to delay N conversion and maximize its use by plants. These additives help maintain N in a form that’s readily available to plants, enhancing efficiency and reducing losses.
   • Natural Solutions: Integrate nitrogen-fixing legumes and cover crops into the rotation. They enrich soil fertility naturally, lessening the need for synthetic fertilizers. These crops not only provide N to the soil but also improve its structure and health over time.
   • Care for Soil Health: Boost organic matter and manage pH levels to improve nutrient retention and uptake, ensuring crops get the most out of every application. Nova PeKacid and Agrolution pHLow fertigation is an effective tool for precise applications in the root zone to lower soil pH and increase nutrient uptake. Healthy soils support robust root development and nutrient uptake, contributing to overall crop vigor and resilience.
   • Stay Compliant and Sustainable: Follow local regulations and embrace the 4R Nutrient Stewardship approach to protect water quality and optimize nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). By adhering to best practices and regulatory guidelines, you contribute to sustainable farming practices and ensure long-term productivity of our lands.

By blending these strategies, we can effectively manage N, fostering healthy crops, sustainable practices, and a thriving agricultural ecosystem.

Nitrogen Fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizers play a crucial role in enhancing crop productivity and ensuring optimal plant nutrition. Common choices often include urea, ammonium nitrate, UAN, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium phosphate.  ICL offers a range of options when it comes to N fertilizers, each tailored to specific needs and conditions.

Featured Nitrogen Fertilizers

• Agroblen Total 18-11-11 (3-4M) provides a fully coated NPK product with a full micronutrient package containing a higher N analysis (including urea, ammonium nitrate and nitrate nitrogen).
• Nova Magnific 11-0-0 +9.3Mg is a fully water-soluble N and magnesium fertilizer for fertigation and foliar applications.
• Nova N-K 13.5-0-46 is specially formulated for plants with high potassium needs, but with N in nitrate form, Nova N-K is easy for plants to absorb, and the nitrogen and potassium work together to improve nutrient uptake.
• Agrolution pHLow High NK 20-10-20 +micros built for cold soils, this NK water-soluble fertigation fertilizer offers a one-to-one ratio of N and potassium for when lower phosphorus is desired. The acidic formulation also improves nutrient efficiency and reduces scale and build-up, keeping irrigation systems clean.
• Agrolution pHLow 15-6-27-3.3Ca  provides an elevated potassium-to-nitrogen ratio, a base level of all micronutrients, plus an extra boost of calcium for improved fruit quality and effectively managed alkalinity and pH.

Choosing the right fertilizer depends on crop needs, soil conditions, and environmental considerations. Connect with our team of agronomists and technical sales managers to find the products or solutions that meet your needs.