Abstract
Laboratory experiments have shown appreciable losses of ammonia after injection of anhydrous ammonia into dry and wet soils. In this study losses of ammonia injected into a moist (tension 10 kPa), dry (tension 160 kPa) and a wet (tension 1.6 kPa) sandy loam were measured under field conditions using wind tunnels. Losses were insignificant from a moist soil. However losses from a dry and a wet soil were 20% and 50% of injected ammonia, respectively. From the dry soil, losses of gaseous ammonia took place within the first hours after injection, which indicates a rapid transport through cracks and voids. From the wet soil, 20% of the injected ammonia was lost more gradually between 6 h and 6 d. This indicates that upward movement of water due to evaporation may be the cause of these ammonia losses which proceeded for longer periods.
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Sommer, S.G., Christensen, B.T. Ammonia volatilization after injection of anhydrous ammonia into arable soils of different moisture levels. Plant Soil 142, 143–146 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010184
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010184