Estimation of Release Properties of Slow-release Fertilizer Materials

Abstract

Slow-release fertilizers marketed to the public usually include a claim that nutrient release will last for a specific time period (e.g., 6, 9, or 12 months). However, no official laboratory method exists that can verify these claims. A long-term (180 days) incubation method has been developed that produces constants for an exponential model that characterizes nutrient release as a function of time. In addition, a relatively short-term (74 h) extraction method has been developed to assess nutrient release under accelerated laboratory conditions. Through regression techniques, release constants established for individual slow-release nutrient sources by the incubation method are used in conjunction with the laboratory extraction data to verify the release claims of slow-release fertilizers. Nutrient release for selected single materials has been predicted with greater than 90% accuracy in previous studies. Nutrient release from mixtures of slow-release products has been more variable. It is typical for water-soluble and slow-release fertilizers to be mixed in commercial products. Ultimately, it is intended that these methodologies will be accepted as an official method to verify nutrient release claims placed on slow-release fertilizers.