Understanding the Effects of Deep Fertilization on Upland Crop Cultivation and Ammonia Emissions using a Newly Developed Deep Fertilization Device

Abstract

Nitrogen fertilizers applied to agricultural lands for crop cultivation can be volatilized as ammonia. The released ammonia can catalyze the formation of ultrafine dust (particulate matter, PM2.5), classified as a short-lived climate change pollutant, in the atmosphere. Currently, one of the prominent methods for fertilizer application in agricultural lands is soil surface application, which comprises spraying the fertilizers onto the soil surface, followed by mixing the fertilizers with the soil. Owing to the low nitrogen absorption rate of crops, when nitrogen fertilizers are applied in this manner, they can be lost from land surfaces through volatilization. Therefore, investigating a new fertilization method to reduce ammonia emissions and increase the fertilizer utilization efficiency of crops is nece-ssary. In this study, to develop a method for reducing ammonia emissions from nitrogen fertilizers applied to soil surfaces, deep fertilization was conducted using a newly developed deep fertilization device, and ammonia emissions from barley, garlic, and onion fields were examined. Conventional fertilization (surface application) and deep fertilization (soil depth of 25 cm) were conducted for analysis. The fertilization rate was 100% of the standard fertilization rate used for barley, and deep fertilization of N, P, and K fertilizers was implemented. Ammonia emissions were collected using a wind tunnel chamber, and quantified subsequently susing the indole-phenol blue method. Ammonia emissions released from the basal fertilizer application persisted for approximately 58 d, begin-ning from approximately 3 d after fertilization in conventional treatments; however, ammonia was not released from deep fertilization. Moreover, barley, garlic, and onion yields were higher in the deep fertilization treatment than in the conventional fertilization treatment. In con-clusion, a new fertilization method was identified as an al-ternative to the current approach of spraying fertilizers on the soil surface. This new method, which involves inject-ing nitrogen fertilizers at a soil depth of