Atlanta, Georgia, USA
March 20, 2009
University studies show higher
yields and protein content compared to standard UAN
• Nitamin® Steady Delivery® shows more efficient N utilization,
reduced leaching
• Higher yield and protein percentage demonstrated in North
Dakota State University testing
• Nitamin was consistent performer in wide range of soil
conditions and weather
Three years of research trials in spring wheat at
North Dakota State University
(NDSU) demonstrate that Nitamin® Steady Delivery® plant
performance technology delivers consistently higher yields and
protein content when compared to conventional nitrogen (N)
fertility programs that use urea as the sole N source.
Agronomists also noted that the superior N efficiency of Nitamin
applied at-planting resulted in spring wheat crops that had
yields and protein percentage ratings comparable or higher
compared to those achieved with standard urea applications at
much higher N application rates.
The patented polymer technology in Nitamin, which is
manufactured by
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition and distributed by
Wilbur-Ellis Co. and
others, provides an effective slow-release nitrogen source for
multiple crops. Nitamin technology, composed of methylene urea
polymers and triazone, can be blended with quick-release liquid
fertilizers such as urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), urea solution
or ammonium nitrate solution in various ratios to provide a
flexible nitrogen release pattern that matches the nutritional
requirements of the crop.
“With Nitamin, we found that you can apply the equivalent of 90
lbs/acre of nitrogen and achieve the same or better yield and
protein content results as 120 lbs/acre of conventional urea,”
says Dr. David Franzen, NDSU agronomist who conducted the
studies.
John Kruse, Georgia-Pacific senior agronomist, adds that based
on university studies, “we found that Nitamin has an advantage
during wet conditions or in sandy soils where you can lose a lot
of your nitrogen to leaching through the soil because it stays
where it’s applied in the soil.” Furthermore, Kruse says, “The
technology used in Nitamin Steady Delivery allows growers to
effectively manage the nitrogen needs of their crops and helps
increase yield and crop quality through lower total N rates and
fewer in-season applications.”
This improved N efficiency also allows for reduced nitrate
leaching and better environmental stewardship throughout the
growing season.
North Dakota State University research results
The NDSU wheat trials were conducted over three seasons
(2006-2008) and in multiple locations to test the product under
varying soil and climate conditions. Nitamin was blended as a
43-0-0 slow-release N, of which 94 percent was slowly available.
The studies tested two quick-release components – urea and 28%
urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) -- that were blended with Nitamin to
provide an extended delivery and enhanced uptake of N. In each
case, 25 percent of the total combination was slow-release
Nitamin.
Researchers found that this combination applied at-planting
generally provided higher yields and protein content when
compared to equal amounts of N in standard urea applications.
More significantly, Dr. Franzen reported, was that the fields
that received the Nitamin fertilizer technology application with
total N of 90 pounds per acre yielded the same as the wheat
plots that received a standard quick-release pre-plant N
application at 120 pounds per acre. This was illustrated at one
site near Valley City, ND, in 2008, where both fields (Nitamin
at 90 lbs./A and UAN at 120 lbs./A) yielded 72 bu/A and recorded
15 percent protein levels.
At the Valley City, ND, site in 2007, higher yields – 60.2 bu/A
-- were obtained from the wheat field that received a Nitamin
application at 30 pounds per acre of N less than the
urea-treated field, which yielded 56.7 bu/A. Similar results
were recorded in other study locations in 2006 and 2007.
Franzen noted that the Nitamin fertilizer technology performed
well in last year’s wet spring conditions and also in plot
locations and years where there were extended periods without
rain or where the soil is sandy, factors that normally lead to
significant nitrogen loss at planting.
“In the dry years, the Nitamin product acted the same as urea or
28 percent (UAN),” Franzen says. “Nitamin seems to be
well-suited in dry or wet conditions. It stays where it’s put
down and releases the nitrogen similar to urea or 28 percent.
Those are qualities you don’t see in other slow-release
products.”
About Nitamin fertilizers
Manufactured by Georgia-Pacific and primarily distributed by
Wilbur-Ellis Co., Nitamin 30L and Nitamin Nfusion
Steady-Delivery liquid slow-release plant nutrition products
provide a steady supply of nitrogen to the plant, minimizing N
fluctuations that have a negative impact on plant growth and
quality. Nitamin 30L, a blend of slowly available and readily
available N components, was developed for use as a
foliar-applied fertilizer for use on crops and turfgrass.
Nitamin Nfusion was designed to be blended with quick-release
liquid N fertilizers to provide an economical high-efficiency
nitrogen source based on seasonal crop N demand and regional
growing conditions.
Georgia-Pacific Plant Nutrition is a business group of
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC - a market leader in chemical
products for the paper, pulp and building products industries,
as well as other industrial manufacturing processes.
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals has been a major raw material supplier
to leading fertilizer producers for over 20 years and has over
40 years of experience with urea-based polymer technology. The
company's headquarters office is located at 133 Peachtree
Street, 19th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303. For additional
information, please visit the company’s Web sites
http://www.gp.com/chemical/ and
http://www.nitamin.com/ or
call the Nitamin hotline at 866-2nitamin.
North Dakota State University does not endorse Georgia-Pacific
or Nitamin.
NITAMIN, NITAMIN NFUSION, STEADY-DELIVERY and the
Georgia-Pacific logo are trademarks owned by or licensed to
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC. |
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