Some researchers concluded that significant ammonia loss occurs from liquid N fertilizers, which in fact decreases NUE. Many studies support the conclusion that there are no differences in the efficiency between the liquid and dry fertilizers.
Inconsistent results in comparing liquid and dry N sources in wheat have been reported in literature. Īccording to the Ohio State University’s Extension, “are liquid fertilizers equal to or better than dry fertilizers?” and “are liquid fertilizers more available than granular fertilizers?” are among the top 20 most asked agronomic questions. In 2014 alone, the US crop farms expenditures related to fertilizers (including lime and soil conditioners) were $23.2 billion, surpassed only by land rent and labor costs. Commercial fertilizers are available in different forms, grades, and formulations they can be solid (dry granular), liquids (fluid products), or gaseous (usually stored in a liquid form and transforming to gas when applied). At least 50% of food produced in the world today is only possible due to commercial N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer application to crops. One of the key ways the producer can conserve fertilizer energy is utilizing fertilizer more efficiently, which entails optimizing crop yield with a minimum amount of fertilizer. Sustaining global food security and minimizing the negative impact of agriculture intensification on environmental quality are the most challenging issues the researchers and crop growers are facing today. Establishing effective N management systems, updating N application guidelines, and improving NUE are the key challenges that must be addressed to sustain and enhance the sustainability of wheat production. The most sensible and ethical solution to meet crops’ nutrient demand is developing of more efficient crop fertilizer practices. With the harmful effects of inefficient nutrient management practices resulting in soil, water, and air environments becoming a major concern, increasing fertilizer use efficiency has surfaced as a newly defined goal for crop producers. A notable increase from the late 1990s estimates for NUE being 33% is largely due to continuous advances in fertilizer management strategies and novel fertilizer technologies.įor many years, fertilization was driven by maximizing and sustaining crop yields as the main goal. While N is considered the most common nutrient limiting yield of wheat and other cereal crops, N use efficiency (NUE) is currently between 40 and 50% for most cereal crop production systems. Currently, the United States exports an average of 26.0 million metric tons of all wheat classes annually and leads in hard red winter and soft red winter wheat exports. Besides supplying carbohydrates, wheat also contains valuable proteins, minerals, and vitamins and essential amino acids like lysine. In the US, the consumption of wheat per capita exceeds that of any other food staple. Overall, approximately 35% of the world’s population regularly depends on wheat for their nourishment. Wheat accounts for approximately 20% of the total food calories consumed worldwide. Wheat is the main food grain produced in the United States. Taking into account agronomic and economic factors, LU can be recommended as the most suitable liquid N fertilizer source for spring wheat cropping systems of the Northern Great Plains. The dilution ratios had no effect on GY, GP, PY, NUp, and NUE at any of the site-years in this study.
The effects of N source and the dilution ratio (fertilizer/water) on N uptake (NUp), N use efficiency (NUE), spring wheat grain yield (GY), grain protein (GP) content, and protein yield (PY) were assessed.
Three dilution ratios of fertilizer to water were accessed: 100/0 (undiluted), 66/33, and 33/66. In addition to at-seeding urea application at 90 kg N ha −1 to all treatments (except for the unfertilized check plot), the liquid fertilizers were applied utilizing an all-terrain vehicle- (ATV-) mounted stream-bar equipped sprayer at a rate of 45 kg N ha −1 at Feekes 5 growth stage (early tillering). The study was conducted in 20 at three locations in North Central and Western Montana (total of 6 site-years) to evaluate the relative efficacy of three liquid nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN, 32-0-0), liquid urea (LU, 21-0-0), and High NRGN (HNRGN, 27-0-0-1S), in spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.).