The Effect of Zeolitic Fertilizer on Nitrogen Retention in Soil and Its Availability to Plants
Global crop yield is stagnant due to quick release of N from fertilizers and its lower availability at critical growth stages of crops. Urea impregnation of aluminosilicate minerals, especially zeolites, holds NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> and delays its release for later crop s...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Nitrogen |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/6/2/46 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Global crop yield is stagnant due to quick release of N from fertilizers and its lower availability at critical growth stages of crops. Urea impregnation of aluminosilicate minerals, especially zeolites, holds NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> and delays its release for later crop stages. limited information is available in the literature about the effect of zeolite-based urea fertilizer on soil nitrogen dynamics. Zeolitic urea formulation was prepared and tested in a field experiment under a wheat–rice cropping system. Sources of N were urea and zeolitic urea formulation. N was reduced up to 50% in the treatments from zeolitic urea. Soil parameters (NH<sub>4</sub>-N, NO<sub>3</sub>-N, available N and total N) and plant parameters were recorded by following the standard procedures. Zeolitic urea retained the highest contents of NH<sub>4</sub>-N and NO<sub>3</sub>-N at critical growth stages (booting and maturity) of wheat crop. Zeolitic urea retained the highest NO<sub>3</sub> in 0–30 cm soil depth, while these were highest at 60–90 cm depth with urea. Grain yield of wheat crops with N<sub>100%</sub>U were similar to that of with N<sub>75%</sub>ZU, where 25% less N was applied and nitrogen use efficiency was improved to 25.82% by zeolitic urea. Zeolite-based N fertilizer retains N in soil for an extended period of time and maintains crop yield even with less applied N as compared with urea. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2504-3129 |