Assessment of Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors in Forage Seed – U of S Final Report
Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) are intended to reduce nutrient losses to the environment, thereby increasing nutrient availability for plant production. One category of EEFs is nitrogen (N) fertilizer that is stabilized using compounds such as urease and nitrification inhibitors, both of which slow the release of N by controlling key microbially mediated processes.
Our study, comprised of field, laboratory and growth chamber experiments, was conducted to assess the use of EEFs to improve N use efficiency (NUE) and yield in forage grass (i.e., hybrid bromegrass and timothy) seed production. Field experiments revealed the efficacy of EEF products varied depending on the forage crop and time of application.