Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Evaluation of foliar-applied nano-fertilizers for enhanced nitrogen use efficiency of wheat – year 2
Hanna Poffenbarger, Jason Unrine, Olga Tsyusko, and Leticia Pacheco Inoue
Nitrogen fertilization is often necessary to raise a productive, profitable, and high-quality wheat crop. However, nitrogen fertilizer inputs can contribute to environmental degradation. Nitrate compromises drinking water quality and can lead to algal blooms. In addition, microbial transformations of fertilizer nitrogen produce nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Because nitrogen fertilizer is a costly input, these nitrogen fertilizer losses can also decrease profitability for farmers. Finding ways to manage nitrogen efficiently – so that more of it ends up in the crop and less in the environment – is crucial to maintaining a nutritious and secure food supply while improving environmental quality.
During the 2023-2024 wheat growing season at Spindletop Farm in Lexington, we evaluated two common nitrogen fertilizer sources – urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) applied to the soil and to the foliage. Our hypothesis for the foliar application was that the lower interaction of nitrogen with soil microbes would lead to less nitrate leaching, lower nitrous oxide emissions, and more efficient uptake by plants. In addition, we tested two novel nano-fertilizer products, which are thought to enable more efficient uptake of nitrogen by plant leaves than conventional fertilizers. Our goal was to assess the nitrogen use efficiency and environmental impacts of foliar nitrogen application with and without nanocarriers.
The nitrogen fertilizer source and application methods included in our study are listed below. We applied these treatments at three rates – 0, 50, and 100 lb N/acre. The applications were split applied with 30% at Feekes 3, 30% at Feekes 5, and 30% at Feekes 8. We measured nitrous oxide emissions throughout the entire growing season. Our results indicate that the foliar applications resulted in lower emissions than the soil applications. We are in the process of collecting data on grain yield, nitrogen uptake, and nitrogen use efficiency. In the fall, we will recover nitrate lysimeters which were installed to measure nitrate leaching.
Source
Application method
Application details
Treatment type
UAN
Soil-applied
Streamer nozzle
Conventional
UAN
Foliar applied
Broadcast nozzle
Conventional
UAN with nanocarrier*
Foliar applied
Broadcast nozzle
Farmer-ready nano-fertilizer
Urea granules
Soil-applied
Broadcast
Conventional
Urea solution
Foliar applied
Broadcast nozzle
Conventional
Urea solution with nanocarrier*
Foliar applied
Broadcast nozzle
Experimental nano-fertilizer
*The nanocarrier for UAN will be the commercially available AquaYield NanoN+ product, which is thought to provide faster uptake of nitrogen into cells. The nano-carrier for urea will be iron hydroxyapatite, which is thought to provide a slow-release form of urea.
Because nitrogen cycling and wheat growth are highly impacted by weather conditions, we propose repeating this study a second year to gain a more complete understanding of the treatment effects. The same as last year, our budget includes $6,234 for a part-time student worker who will perform field sampling, laboratory analysis, and contribute to plot maintenance. We also request $2,000 for laboratory supplies and analysis costs. The total budget request will be $8,234.
Status | Active |
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Effective start/end date | 9/1/24 → 12/31/25 |
Funding
- Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association: $8,234.00
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