Study points to how to reduce nitrogen losses in corn.

Reducing losses Nitrogen in the fertilization of corn This can increase the efficiency of nutrient use under conditions favorable to ammonia volatilization. According to the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), trials conducted in Paraná, Argentina, showed that... Urea treatment with a urease inhibitor significantly reduced these losses compared to Urea conventional.

The study was conducted during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 growing seasons and compared nitrogen doses of 100 and 200 kilograms per hectare, as well as an area without fertilization. Applications occurred after rainfall of 24 to 39 millimeters, a scenario that kept the soil moist and favored volatilization.

In both cycles, conventional urea recorded the highest peak of losses between the second and third day after application. The product with an inhibitor, on the other hand, showed more stable behavior and lower losses throughout the period.

In the 2024/25 crop season, conventional urea lost between 14% and 15% of the applied nitrogen through volatilization, while the use of the inhibitor reduced the rate to 6% to 7%. In 2025/26, the difference was even wider: losses ranged between 13% and 20% with conventional urea and between 5% and 6% with the treatment.

Regarding productivity, there was no statistical difference between the two fertilizer sources. The observed effect was mainly related to the nitrogen dose, with yields ranging from 5,277 to 11,915 kilograms per hectare. Nutrient use efficiency was higher at the lower dose, regardless of the source.

The study is part of an Argentinian network evaluating nitrogen gas losses in corn and will continue with the analysis of nitrous oxide emissions, focusing on recommendations to improve fertilization management and the sustainability of production systems.