karmaxul
03-27-2006, 04:44 AM
Nitrogen Education
Organic Nitrogen Compounds:)
Urea: Urea has three distinct advantages, namely, it is readily soluble in water and can be applied either as a soil application or as foliar spray. It increases soil acidity only slightly. In urea, the nitrogen is present in the amide form ( diamide of carbonic acid) and is rapidly converted to ammoniacal nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen. The major draw backs of urea are that it is susceptible to leaching, fixation and volatilization. Calcium cyanamide though not available in India, is most suited for acid soils, owing to its high content of calcium oxide. Cynamide is hydrolyzed to urea and made available for plant growth and development.
Amide fertilizers contains nitrogen in organic compounds as amide NH2 or CN 2.The nitrogen is quickly converted by soil microbes to ammoniacal and nitrate form, which in turn is easily assimilated by the plant.
Inorganic Nitrogenous Fertilizers:)
Nitrates: (NO3- ): All nitrate fertilizers are readily soluble. Hence it is recommended wherever plant growth is to be promoted rapidly, like in new clearings or young plantations. Nitrate fertilizers easily pass into solution in spite of little moisture and can therefore be effective in periods when there is little rain. Nitrate of soda, also known as sodium nitrate is unavailable to the Indian coffee farmers. Potassium nitrate which is a source of both nitrogen and potassium is also not available. The nitrogen content is around 14 % and the potash content of about 15%. Calcium nitrate, also known as nitrate of lime and Norwegian saltpeter contains about 16% nitrogen and 34% calcium. Ammonium nitrate is a nitrogenous fertilizer but because of its highly inflammable nature it is not used as a commercial fertilizer. Nitrogen present in these fertilizers is in nitrate form,NO3 - which are easily soluble in water. This characteristic ensures rapid absorption by the plants. Excessive nitrate ions inhibit both nitrification and nitrogen fixation. Nitrates are susceptible to losses due to leaching. On account of their great solubility, nitrate fertilizers should be applied in three to four split applications. They are alkaline in their residual effect in soil. At reasonably good temperatures and under favorable soil conditions with adequate aeration, the transformation of the ammonium ion into the nitrate ion can take place within a few days. In strongly acidic soils, nitrification can be delayed for a prolonged period of time.
Following are the nitrate fertilizers:
Ammonium Fertilizers: (NH4+): The advantage of ammonia fertilizers is due to the fact that the NH4+ ion, in contrast to the NO3 â?? ion, is absorbed by the soil. The most common ammonium fertilizer is ammonium sulfate. The major draw back of using ammonium sulfate is that it increases soil acidity. Hence, coffee farmers using this fertilizer need to frequently lime their soils to neutralize the acidity. In general ammonium fertilizers are readily soluble in water. The added advantage of using these fertilizers is due to the fact that they get absorbed on the soil colloidal complex and protect the fertilizer from being washed away by leaching and runoff.
Nitrate and Ammonium Fertilizers: (Nitrate, NO3- and ammonium, NH4+): The advantage of using these fertilizers is that the nitrate nitrogen is readily available to plants for various stages of growth and development, whereas ammonium nitrogen becomes available to plants for the formation of productive woods at a later stage, when it is transformed by microbiological process to nitrate. These fertilizers are soluble in water and are acidic in their residual effect. In calcium ammonium nitrate one half of the nitrogen content is ammoniacal, the other is nitrate nitrogen. The ammonium sulphate nitrate fertilizer contains only 6.5% nitrate nitrogen compared with 19.5 % ammonical nitrogen.
Organic Nitrogen Compounds:)
Urea: Urea has three distinct advantages, namely, it is readily soluble in water and can be applied either as a soil application or as foliar spray. It increases soil acidity only slightly. In urea, the nitrogen is present in the amide form ( diamide of carbonic acid) and is rapidly converted to ammoniacal nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen. The major draw backs of urea are that it is susceptible to leaching, fixation and volatilization. Calcium cyanamide though not available in India, is most suited for acid soils, owing to its high content of calcium oxide. Cynamide is hydrolyzed to urea and made available for plant growth and development.
Amide fertilizers contains nitrogen in organic compounds as amide NH2 or CN 2.The nitrogen is quickly converted by soil microbes to ammoniacal and nitrate form, which in turn is easily assimilated by the plant.
Inorganic Nitrogenous Fertilizers:)
Nitrates: (NO3- ): All nitrate fertilizers are readily soluble. Hence it is recommended wherever plant growth is to be promoted rapidly, like in new clearings or young plantations. Nitrate fertilizers easily pass into solution in spite of little moisture and can therefore be effective in periods when there is little rain. Nitrate of soda, also known as sodium nitrate is unavailable to the Indian coffee farmers. Potassium nitrate which is a source of both nitrogen and potassium is also not available. The nitrogen content is around 14 % and the potash content of about 15%. Calcium nitrate, also known as nitrate of lime and Norwegian saltpeter contains about 16% nitrogen and 34% calcium. Ammonium nitrate is a nitrogenous fertilizer but because of its highly inflammable nature it is not used as a commercial fertilizer. Nitrogen present in these fertilizers is in nitrate form,NO3 - which are easily soluble in water. This characteristic ensures rapid absorption by the plants. Excessive nitrate ions inhibit both nitrification and nitrogen fixation. Nitrates are susceptible to losses due to leaching. On account of their great solubility, nitrate fertilizers should be applied in three to four split applications. They are alkaline in their residual effect in soil. At reasonably good temperatures and under favorable soil conditions with adequate aeration, the transformation of the ammonium ion into the nitrate ion can take place within a few days. In strongly acidic soils, nitrification can be delayed for a prolonged period of time.
Following are the nitrate fertilizers:
Ammonium Fertilizers: (NH4+): The advantage of ammonia fertilizers is due to the fact that the NH4+ ion, in contrast to the NO3 â?? ion, is absorbed by the soil. The most common ammonium fertilizer is ammonium sulfate. The major draw back of using ammonium sulfate is that it increases soil acidity. Hence, coffee farmers using this fertilizer need to frequently lime their soils to neutralize the acidity. In general ammonium fertilizers are readily soluble in water. The added advantage of using these fertilizers is due to the fact that they get absorbed on the soil colloidal complex and protect the fertilizer from being washed away by leaching and runoff.
Nitrate and Ammonium Fertilizers: (Nitrate, NO3- and ammonium, NH4+): The advantage of using these fertilizers is that the nitrate nitrogen is readily available to plants for various stages of growth and development, whereas ammonium nitrogen becomes available to plants for the formation of productive woods at a later stage, when it is transformed by microbiological process to nitrate. These fertilizers are soluble in water and are acidic in their residual effect. In calcium ammonium nitrate one half of the nitrogen content is ammoniacal, the other is nitrate nitrogen. The ammonium sulphate nitrate fertilizer contains only 6.5% nitrate nitrogen compared with 19.5 % ammonical nitrogen.