Improving pasture growth and urea efficiency using N inhibitor, molybdenum and elemental sulphur

Abstract

A one year field experiment was conducted to assess the efficiency of urea fertilizer applied to pasture near Lincoln University, New Zealand. Urea with or without (±) molybdenum (Mo) were applied to field plot, with a urease inhibitor [N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT), nBTPT + elemental sulphur (S), and nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) + nBTPT defined as a double inhibitor (DI) in spring 2005. Mo was sprayed at the rate of 50 g Mo/ha/yr once. Urea ± various inhibitor and S treatments were broadcast at a rate of 30 kg N/ha 5 times over one year. The Mo alone treatment increased pasture dry matter (PDM) yield by 8.9%. Molybdenum, when applied together with urea+nBTPT+S, urea+nBTPT and urea alone, caused an initial depression in PDM yield by 14.2, 13 and 5.6% respectively. However, these depressions in yield disappeared from the second pasture cut. Over a one year period, Mo applied with urea+nBTPT, urea+DI and urea+nBTPT+S produced 18179, 16716 and 18253 kg DM ha-1 respectively, compared to 16171 kg ha-1 for urea+Mo. Pastures which received no Mo, but were treated with urea+nBTPT+S, or urea+nBTPT produced 18982 and 18276 kg DM ha-1 respectively, compared to 16363 kg ha-1 for urea alone, giving an increase of 16% and 12% over urea alone. Pastures receiving Mo, together with urea+nBTPT or urea+nBTPT+S, also showed improvement in N uptake and N recovery, compared to urea alone. Applying urea with nBTPT and S have the most potential to improve urea efficiency.