Did you know that as much as 95% of your nitrogen investment this spring is at risk of loss? When nitrogen is lost, potential yield and profit are lost, too. There is no denying that nitrogen is an essential nutrient for corn production and an adequate supply is required for the proper growth of corn. Protecting nitrogen fertilizer is critical for a healthy crop and return, that starts by knowing how to combat nitrogen loss. 

Benefits of Nitrogen

Nitrogen plays a critical role in corn growth. It supports corn’s rapid growth and encourages the healthy development of the entire plant from roots to ears. Nitrogen is present in various parts of a plant and affects many physiological functions. For example, nitrogen is a significant component of the amino acids in the proteins and enzymes that help roots absorb nutrients and water. It makes up a large part of the chlorophyll found in plants, which is used to make sugars that feed the plant. In addition, nitrogen impacts plant growth regulation as well as the development of proteins present in a crop's grains. 

Causes of Nitrogen Loss

Denitrification occurs when soil bacteria use nitrate for their respiration in place of oxygen in the air. This process occurs more rapidly in warm, wet soils that contain an abundance of nitrates. Soils can experience a 5-35 percent loss rate. 

Leaching, or washing away. Nitrogen is highly mobile in the soil; nitrate leaching occurs when the nitrates are washed from the soil in drainage water. Nitrogen is more prone to leaching when soil is wet and pore spaces are saturated. 

Volatilization is caused when nitrogen sources, such as urea, convert from their organic form to ammonia gases that are then released into the atmosphere. Volatilization most commonly occurs in warm moist soils when the urea is on or close to the soil surface. Volatilization is reduced when manure and urea fertilizers are applied when soil and air temperatures are cool, or when rain occurs soon after application. 

How to Combat Nitrogen Loss

NBPT Stabilizers

N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, commonly known as NBPT, is a urease inhibitor that protects against nitrogen loss through the volatilization stage of the nitrogen cycle. To protect nitrogen available to the plants above ground, use of NBPT slows down the process of urease enzymes breaking down and volatizing into the atmosphere. When NBPT stabilizers are blended with urea it can provide above ground protection of applied nitrogen, protecting your fertilizer investment. 

DCD Inhibitors

Nitrogen loss through the de-nitrification and leaching stages of the nitrogen cycle takes place below ground. To protect nitrogen available to plants below the surface, Dicyandiamide or DCD, a nitrification inhibitor, can be used to shut down and block the Nitrosomonas bacteria activity in the soil that is responsible for the conversion of ammonium to nitrite and then to nitrate, an unstable source of nitrogen for the crop. 

Protecting Your Fertilizer Investment

To protect above ground nitrogen from ammonia volatilization and below ground nitrogen from denitrification and leaching, CHS Agronomy offers its N-Edge portfolio of nitrogen stabilizer products.

Use of N-Edge products can help protect against nitrogen loss is especially critical during these situations:

• When fertilizer is surface applied, especially to moist soils.
• Under high crop residue such as reduced or no-till conditions.
• When warm temperatures, high soil pH, and other weather and field challenges lead to increased nitrogen loss at or near the soil surface.

The latest product in the line-up, N-Edge® Pro is an NBPT and DCD combination nitrogen stabilizer that provides protection against volatility leaching and denitrification in both below and above ground applications.

For more information on N-Edge Pro and the full N-Edge portfolio, visit CHSAgronomy.com or talk to your local CHS Agronomy retailer.