Study Shows Threat of Cold Weather Volatilization Without Urease Inhibitor

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Long-standing farming myths can be hard to overcome. Jared Miller, master agronomy advisor with MKC, says there's one that he still hears from growers - that nitrogen loss is stopped by cold weather.

Fall-applied nitrogen can benefit growers by taking some of the pressure off spring applications that can often be delayed by weather. However, regardless of soil temperatures, a nitrogen inhibitor needs to be included in your plan to help ensure you’re maximizing your fertilizer inputs.

The Volatilization Process

Volatilization occurs when the urease enzyme breaks the urea molecule into ammonia gas, which is a process called urea hydrolysis. This process is a chemical reaction that is not dependent on temperature, meaning the reaction can occur in freezing temperatures.

Some believe untreated urea isn’t at risk to volatilization when the weather cools after harvest. But numerous studies, including one conducted by the agronomists at Kansas State University, contradict those beliefs.

The study

In field trials completed by Kansas State University, their team studied the nitrogen volatilization during temperatures averaging 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

After one month, they found that up to 30 percent of untreated urea was lost to volatilization – ten times higher than the average loss of 2.7 percent when treated with AGROTAIN^®, the predecessor to ANVOL^® nitrogen stabilizer.

Introduced in 2019, ANVOL is built upon the protections AGROTAIN has offered to growers for more than 20 years. For ANVOL, the difference is Duromide – a patented active ingredient delivering the longest-lasting urease inhibitor over a wider range of soil environments to help growers across the country.

To learn more about ANVOL and how it can help protect your nitrogen investment through different weather conditions, visit ANVOL.com.

The underlying data was provided by Kansas State University under a Research Trial Financial Support Agreement with Koch Agronomic Services, LLC and neither Kansas State University, nor the individual researchers referenced, endorse or recommend any product or service