Does the potential ammonium fixation of soils have an impact on the optimum nitrogen fertilizer rate?

Abstract

ABSTRACTField experiments were conducted to determine the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilizer forms and doses on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on three soils differing in their ammonium (NH4) fixation capacity [high = 161 mg fixed NH4-N kg−1 soil, medium = 31.5 mg fixed NH4-N kg−1 soil and no = nearly no fixed NH4-N kg−1 soil]. On high NH4+ fixing soil, 80 kg N ha−1 Urea+ ammonium nitrate [NH4NO3] or 240 kg N ha−1 ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4]+(NH4)2SO4, was required to obtain the maximum yield. Urea + NH4NO3 generally showed the highest significance in respect to the agronomic efficiency of N fertilizers. In the non NH4+ fixing soil, 80 kg N ha−1 urea+NH4NO3 was enough to obtain high grain yield. The agronomic efficiency of N fertilizers was generally higher in the non NH4+ fixing soil than in the others. Grain protein was highly affected by NH4+ fixation capacities and N doses. Harvest index was affected by the NH4+ fixation capacity at the 1% significance level.