In recent research, KAS next-generation nitrogen stabilizer, ANVOL®, demonstrated extended protection against nitrogen loss due to volatilization. While untreated urea lost 32 percent of its available nitrogen, urea treated with ANVOL lost just 12 percent.
ANVOL features the Koch-patented active ingredient Duromide which delivers powerful urease inhibitor technology that quickly maximizes nitrogen availability for a longer period of time, giving growers a better return on their fertilizer investments.
To evaluate ANVOL’s efficacy, KAS contacted Louisiana State University’s Dustin Harrell, Ph.D., in 2016 and asked him to conduct a blind test of three urea fertilizers. Harrell serves as an agronomist and extension rice specialist at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
"I tested each of the three urea fertilizers on a more acidic soil with a pH of around 5.5,” says Harrell. "I evaluated the fertilizers in our lab’s environmentally controlled cabinets where I can regulate air flow and temperature, and I measured and recorded each fertilizer’s volatilization rate."
After sending his test data back to KAS, Harrell soon learned what he’d been testing and the implications of his research results. Harrell had tested untreated urea, urea treated with AGROTAIN® stabilizer and urea treated with ANVOL stabilizer; featuring Duromide.
The untreated urea lost approximately 32 percent of the nitrogen applied during Harrell’s test. The plots with AGROTAIN-treated urea lost about 15 percent of their nitrogen – certainly a significant improvement. However, the plots treated with ANVOL lost just 12 percent of their nitrogen on the more acidic soil – a 20 percent advantage over AGROTAIN.
“Over the years, published research has shown that NBPT, the active ingredient in AGROTAIN, typically breaks down faster in acidic soils,” says Harrell. "In my tests, ANVOL’s Duromide provided increased nitrogen protection over NBPT which will provide growers improved protection over a longer period of time.”
Surface-applied urea fertilizers can lose up to 40 percent of their applied nitrogen due to ammonia volatilization, decreasing yield potential. High temperatures, wet soils and windy conditions – factors that growers cannot control – may increase volatilization rates and exacerbate nitrogen loss.