Nitrate is a key component of synthetic fertilizers that can be beneficial to crop production in agro-ecosystems, but can also cause damage to natural ecosystems if it is exported in large amounts. Stable isotopes, both oxygen and nitrogen, have been used to trace the sources and fate of nitrate in various ecosystems. However, the oxygen isotope composition of synthetic and organic nitrates is ...

Nitrogen is the most important essential nutrient that plays a major role in achieving maximum crop yield in agriculture. Therefore, nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate and urea have been extensively used in modern agriculture. These fertilizers are generally oxidized to nitrate via nitrite by nitrifying microorganisms in the agricultural field (4, 10, 11). The serious environmental p...

Increasing diffuse nitrate loading of surface waters and groundwater has emerged as a major problem in many agricultural areas of the world, resulting in contamination of drinking water resources in aquifers as well as eutrophication of freshwaters and coastal marine ecosystems. Although empirical correlations between application rates of N fertilizers to agricultural soils and nitrate contamin...

In order to evaluate the effects of inoculants and chemical fertilizer on quantitative and qualitative yield, a bread wheat cultivar treated with Azotobacter, arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and nitrogen sources by using split plot on the basis of randomized complete block design with three replications in Fars Agricultural Research Station during 2007-2008. Main plots consisted of nitrogen f...

Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development; however, due to environmental pollution, high nitrate concentrations accumulate in the edible parts of these leafy vegetables, particularly if excessive nitrogen fertilizer has been applied. Consuming these crops can harm human health; thus, developing a suitable strategy for the agricultural application of nitrogen fertilizer i...

This study examined the efficiency of different organic waste materials as NPK fertilizer, in addition to the risk for leaching losses related to shower precipitation in the first part of the growing season. The experiment was tested in a pot trial on a sandy soil in a greenhouse. Six organic fertilizers were evaluated: liquid anaerobic digestate (LAD) sourced from separated household waste, ni...

Effect of different nitrogenous fertilizers on the growth and yield of three years old tea (Camellia sinensis L) plants was investigated at National Tea Research Institute, Shinkiari, (Mansehra) during 2005-06. The nitrogenous fertilizers used were ammonium sulphate, calcium ammonium nitrate, urea and nitrophos along with control receiving no fertilizer. All the nitrogenous fertilizers were app...

This paper shows a simple procedure for the quantification of industrial and laboratory samples of Ammonium Sulphate-Nitrate fertilizers (ASN) based on a Rietveld fit from X-ray powder diffraction profiles. The Rietveld fit is performed by means of the structural models of the double salts 2NH4NO3·(NH4)2SO4 and 3NH4NO3·(NH4)2SO4, previously reported by the authors. The proposed method demonstra...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) from nitrogen fertilizers applied to sugarcane has high environmental impact on ethanol production. This study aimed to determine the main microbial processes responsible for the N2O emissions from soil fertilized with different N sources, to identify options to mitigate N2O emissions, and to determine the impacts of the N sources on the soil microbiome. In a field experimen...

This chapter provides information on some recent developments of fertilizer production and use that improve nutrient efficiency and minimize environmental impact. The nutrients discussed are mainly N, P, and S. Improving N nutrient efficiency includes use of (1) controlled-release coated urea products, (2) slowrelease urea–aldehyde polymer products, (3) urea supergranules for deep placement, (4...