Lignite Scaffolding as Slow-Release N-Fertilizer Extended the SN Retention and Inhibited N Losses in Alkaline Calcareous Soils

Muhammad Rashid; Qaiser Hussain; Rifat Hayat; Mukhtar Ahmed; Mohammad Sohidul Islam; Walid Soufan; Dinakaran Elango; Karthika Rajendran; Rashid Iqbal; Tauseef A Bhat; Ayman El Sabagh

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c01611

Lignite Scaffolding as Slow-Release N-Fertilizer Extended the SN Retention and Inhibited N Losses in Alkaline Calcareous Soils

ACS Omega. 2023 Jun 12;8(25):22732-22741. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01611. eCollection 2023 Jun 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.
² Soil and Water Testing Laboratory for Research, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.
³ Department of Agronomy, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur 5200, Bangladesh.
⁵ Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
⁷ VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India.
⁸ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100 Pakistan.
⁹ Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Wadura, Sopore 193201, India.
¹⁰ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Shaikh 33516, Egypt.

Abstract

Conventional nitrogen (N) fertilizers particularly urea mineralized quickly in soil. Without sufficient plant uptake, this rapid mineralization favors the heavy N losses. Lignite is a naturally abundant and cost-effective adsorbent capable of extending multiple benefits as a soil amendment. Therefore, it was hypothesized that lignite as an N carrier for the synthesis of lignite-based slow-release N fertilizer (LSRNF) could offer an eco-friendly and affordable option to resolve the limitations of existing N fertilizer formulations. The LSRNF was developed by impregnating urea on deashed lignite and pelletized by a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol and starch as a binder. The results indicated that LSRNF significantly delayed the N mineralization and extended its release to >70 days. The surface morphology and physicochemical properties of LSRNF confirmed the sorption of urea on lignite. The study demonstrated that LSRNF also significantly decreased the NH₃-volatilization up to 44.55%, NO₃-leaching up to 57.01%, and N₂O-emission up to 52.18% compared to conventional urea. So, this study proved that lignite is a suitable material to formulate new slow-release fertilizers, suiting to alkaline calcareous soils favorably where N losses are further higher compared to non-calcareous soils.