Loss of nitrogen from ammoniacal fertilizers incubated under different soil and temperature conditions

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Abstract
Ammonium sulfate and urea were added to 3 soils of widely different composition. After incubation for 28 days at 20.degree. C, from 13-89% of the N from ammonium sulfate and 8-71% of the N as urea were not recovered. At 40.degree. C, 44-95% of the N as ammonium sulfate and 33-81% of the N as urea was not recovered as either ammonium-N or nitrate-N. Significantly more N was lost from a soil containing CaCO3 pH 8.4 as compared to the 2 other soils containing 25 and 35% CaCO2, which have pH of 7.7 and 7.5, respectively. An incubation temperature of 40.degree. C appeared unfavorable for nitrification.