Efficacy of the Nitrification Inhibitor 3,4 Dimethylpyrazol Succinic Acid (DMPSA) when Combined with Calcium Ammonium Nitrate and Ammonium Sulphate—A Soil Incubation Experiment

Abstract

The efficacy of the new nitrification inhibitor 3,4 dimethylpyrazol succinic acid (DMPSA) was tested with calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and ammonium sulphate (AS) fertilisers in an incubation experiment using a sandy loam soil and a sandy textured soil. The experiment was conducted over 80 days. For AS fertiliser, inclusion of DMPSA resulted in significantly less NO3−-N present after 19 days in both soils. In the case of CAN, inclusion of DMPSA resulted in significantly less NO3−-N present after 45 days in the sandy loam soil and after 30 days in the sandy soil. DMPSA is effective nitrification inhibitor when combined with CAN and AS, with a mean reduction of 61% and 58%, respectively, in the average daily nitrification rate over the study period. Over the 80-day incubation period in the sandy loam soil, only 35% NH4+-N was converted to NO3−-N for AS + DMPSA compared to 88% for AS. In the sandy soil, 92% NH4+-N was converted to NO3−-N for AS compared with only 9% for AS + DMPSA by day 80. The results demonstrate that DMPSA is an effective nitrification inhibitor when combined with CAN and AS.

Keywords

• nitrogen fertiliser
• ammonium
• nitrate
• nitrification inhibitor
• incubation
• soil texture