Nitrogen training slides2

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Nitrogen Technology Training

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Types of Nitrogen

• Quick releaseexamples: urea or ammonium sulfate

• Slow release or CRNexamples: SCU, MU, IBDU, organic

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Benefits of Quick Release • Instant gratification• Quick response from the plant• Necessity for more frequent apps• More apps = more revenue in some cases?

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Benefits of CRN• Reduced loss to leaching• Reduced loss to volatilization• Increased utilization by plants• Release is matched to demand• Reduce excessive growth• Reduce disease and abiotic stress factors

associated with excessive N

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Stabilized Nitrogen

• Some examples: UFLEXX, UMAXX, LSN

• What is it? Chemical inhibitors(not a coating) are applied to the fertilizer to reduce the rate at which the nitrogen will volatilize. Depending upon the type and strength of chemical will determine how long the urea will be effected.

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• Lebanon Stabilized Nitrogen is a technology that provides a cost effective nitrogen by reducing nitrogen volatility and maximizes nitrogen availability to the grass plant.

• LSN “buys time” for grass plant to take up Nitrogen

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Coated UreaSCU, PCSCU, etc……

Coating

Urea

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Coated Urea Products

• Controls the dissolution of urea• Cost effective alternative to fast N• Coatings vary widely in effectiveness and

reliability• Coatings can range from 5% to 9% of total• Average between 35% to 45% of the

particles are cracked or broken

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Speed of Release Varies for Each Particle

Thick Coating = Slowest Release including potential Lock Off

Medium Coating = Slow Release

Thin Coating = Slightly Delayed Release

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Speed of Release Varies for Each Particle

Uneven Coating – Release time based on thinnest point

Broken Coating = Rapid Release

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Polymer Coating Breaks During Handling

Dump Bag

Load

Mix

Spreader

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PCU Contains Intact and Breached So Release is less “controlled”, and is more

haphazard and uneven.

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What is MESA?

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What is MESA?MESA is a mixture of two different Nitrogen fertilizers in one. These are:

Meth-EX (Methylene Urea) (A slow-release fertilizer)

Ammonium Sulfate (A quick-release fertilizer)

+

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Each granule of MESA looks homogenous, and is composed of a tangle of METH-EX polymer strands trapping many granules of Ammonium sulfate.

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Even if you split a granule, you cannot release all the ammonium sulfate from it’s tangled trap.

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Methylene Ureas• Homogeneous particles with complete mix of

individual oligomers (chains)• Good green-up and sustained color and healthy

growth• Stimulates microbial activity and provides food

source (CHO) for soil bacteria• An organic N source produced by man (synthetic)

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Methylene Ureas• Influenced by chain length (degree of

polymerization• Influenced by microbial degradation• Influenced by soil moisture and temperature• Not influenced by cultural practices -- traffic,

mowing height, verticutting, or aerification

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The chain can go on forever to make any length.

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Microbes break these chains slowly, into small, water-soluble bits.

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If you could see the molecules, they would look like tangles of spaghetti noodles.

METH-EX

Like this: Or this:

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During production of MESA, ammonium sulfate is mixed with METH-EX while the latter is still wet and soft.

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The two are mixed thoroughly until the granules of ammonium sulfate are evenly speckled throughout the polymer.

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On a molecular level, the granules of ammonium sulfate are intertwined with polymer strands, and become trapped in the tangled mesh.

The blue dots represent ammonium sulfate granules trapped in the polymer mesh of METH-EX.

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So how does the Ammonium Sulfate get released?

In the soil, water will slowly enter the MESA granules, penetrating in just a bit.

Ammonium sulfate located near the edges will dissolve and escape.

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As time goes by, the edges of the polymer mesh biodegrade, converting into urea, and dissolving away.

As this happens, water approaches the interior of the MESA, and finds more Ammonium sulfate, which then dissolves on contact.

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So MESA provides Nitrogen at various rates:

Slow-release Nitrogen from METH-EX

Quick-release Nitrogen from some of the Ammonium sulfate

Controlled-Release Nitrogen from trapped ammonium sulfate

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The result is a single fertilizer that provides a quick nitrogen greenup on turf that lasts and lasts and lasts. You get controlled release nitrogen that doesn’t quit until the last granule of MESA has disappeared.

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Thank you!

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Nitrogen training slides2

Technology

Transcript of Nitrogen training slides2