Article taken from the Agrononist & Arable Farmer
In the presence of adequate oxygen, warm temperatures and some moisture, any nitrogen supplied as a commercial fertiliser is ultimately transformed in the soil to a nitrate form of nitrogen (or at least a significant fraction of that supplied).
Ammonium-N is converted to nitrate-N through a biochemical process (known as nitrification) that requires two forms of soil bacteria. The first bacterium, Nitrosomonas, converts ammonium-N to nitrite-N. The second bacterium Nitrobacter converts nitrite-N to nitrate-N.
During the process of nitrification, significant amounts of nitrogen can be lost from the rooting zone. First of all as nitrous oxide, one of the most potent greenhouse gasses associated with agriculture, and secondly through leaching when converted into nitrate form as nitrate-N is negatively charged and there unable to bind to soil colloids and organic matter. Not only are these losses of key environmental concern, but they are also a waste of one of our single greatest variable inputs, nitrogen fertiliser.
Nitrification inhibitors slow the process of ammonium converting into nitrate. This is an advantage because plants can use nitrogen in both the nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) for growth. As ammonium-N is positively charged, it is less prone to leaching through the soil.
Nitrification inhibitors therefore keep nitrogen available in the root zone for longer, optimising yield and reducing the potential for nitrate leaching losses and nitrous oxide gas emissions.
N-Lock acts as a nitrogen stabiliser to help with N management and N efficiency. N-Lock contains nitrapyrin which inhibits Nitrosomonas spp. Bacteria slowing down the process of nitrification, therefore keeping applied N in the preferred ammonium form for longer.
While a plant can take up nitrogen in both ammonium and nitrate forms, nitrate requires more energy than ammonium to be converted to into usable forms, and therefore nitrate has a higher metabolic cost to the plant and is a less efficient form of nitrogen.
Nitrapyrin has been successfully used on millions of acres in the USA for over 20 years and soil nitrogen retention has been found to increase by over 28%, with significant reductions in nitrogen losses through greenhouse gas emissions and leaching. This has also led to a 5% yield advantage in maize over 20 years.
Agrovista have been trialling N-Lock (nitropyrin) in large-scale field trials across a range of crops for the past two seasons, with very promising results. In 2014 the average yield response across a wide range of sites with winter wheat was 0.75 t/ha, with some sites significantly more as can be seen from the yield map.
Key Benefits
Getting the best from N-Lock
For best results crops needs to be hungry for nitrogen after flowering: eg cereals, OSR, maize. Best results on lighter soils with high potential crops. Apply as close as possible to first nitrogen application and moisture post application will bring best out of product.
In the presence of adequate oxygen, warm temperatures and some moisture, any nitrogen supplied as a commercial fertiliser is ultimately transformed in the soil to a nitrate form of nitrogen (or at least a significant fraction of that supplied).
Ammonium-N is converted to nitrate-N through a biochemical process (known as nitrification) that requires two forms of soil bacteria. The first bacterium, Nitrosomonas, converts ammonium-N to nitrite-N. The second bacterium Nitrobacter converts nitrite-N to nitrate-N.
During the process of nitrification, significant amounts of nitrogen can be lost from the rooting zone. First of all as nitrous oxide, one of the most potent greenhouse gasses associated with agriculture, and secondly through leaching when converted into nitrate form as nitrate-N is negatively charged and there unable to bind to soil colloids and organic matter. Not only are these losses of key environmental concern, but they are also a waste of one of our single greatest variable inputs, nitrogen fertiliser.
Nitrification inhibitors slow the process of ammonium converting into nitrate. This is an advantage because plants can use nitrogen in both the nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) for growth. As ammonium-N is positively charged, it is less prone to leaching through the soil.
Nitrification inhibitors therefore keep nitrogen available in the root zone for longer, optimising yield and reducing the potential for nitrate leaching losses and nitrous oxide gas emissions.
N-Lock acts as a nitrogen stabiliser to help with N management and N efficiency. N-Lock contains nitrapyrin which inhibits Nitrosomonas spp. Bacteria slowing down the process of nitrification, therefore keeping applied N in the preferred ammonium form for longer.
While a plant can take up nitrogen in both ammonium and nitrate forms, nitrate requires more energy than ammonium to be converted to into usable forms, and therefore nitrate has a higher metabolic cost to the plant and is a less efficient form of nitrogen.
Nitrapyrin has been successfully used on millions of acres in the USA for over 20 years and soil nitrogen retention has been found to increase by over 28%, with significant reductions in nitrogen losses through greenhouse gas emissions and leaching. This has also led to a 5% yield advantage in maize over 20 years.
Agrovista have been trialling N-Lock (nitropyrin) in large-scale field trials across a range of crops for the past two seasons, with very promising results. In 2014 the average yield response across a wide range of sites with winter wheat was 0.75 t/ha, with some sites significantly more as can be seen from the yield map.
Key Benefits
N-Lock stabilises nitrogen in the ammonium form which reduces environmental impact of N usage by minimising losses caused from leaching and de-nitrificaton.
N-Lock keeps nitrogen in the rooting zone for longer maximising nitrogen efficiency, therefore improving yields and quality.
Unlike most other nitrification inhibitors N-Lock can be applied alongside or in tank mix with nitrogen fertilisers, slurries and crop protection products.
Getting the best from N-Lock
For best results crops needs to be hungry for nitrogen after flowering: eg cereals, OSR, maize. Best results on lighter soils with high potential crops. Apply as close as possible to first nitrogen application and moisture post application will bring best out of product.