ALZON® liquid - Principle of action

Use the stable form of ammonia

Nitrogen is present in the soil in various forms. It is present in the humus, adsorbed on clay particles or free in the soil solution. Assimulable nitrogen is released from the humus by the mineralisation process or it is added to the soil as mineral fertilisers or organic fertilisers. This mineralised nitrogen can be taken up by the plants as ammonia or as nitrate.

Ammonium nitrogen is bound to soil particles by sorption and thus has little mobility and cannot be leached out. The uptake by the plant leads to the positive effects of an ammonium-biased nitrogen nutrition. In conventional fertilisers, the ammonium fraction is converted to nitrate nitrogen within a few days.

Nitrate nitrogen can move freely in the soil with the flow of water. This free mobility means that it is necessary to apply the nitrogen fertiliser in several doses. If this is not carried out or the partial dosage is too high, the plant undertakes luxury consumption with the associated disadvantages, e.g. tendency towards laying or increased infestation. If nitrate is not immediately absorbed by the plant roots it migrates or is lost by volatilisation, e.g. in the form of dinitrogen oxide (losses from denitrification).

Conversion in the soil

When fertilising with the stabilised fertiliser ALZON® or PIADIN® with liquid manure, the added nitrification inhibitor delays the conversion of the stable, but immediately assimilable, ammonium nitrogen to the nitrate nitrogen that is susceptible to loss. This allows an efficient and appropriately dosed nitrogen nutrition of the plants with ammonium nitrogen. At the same time, this reduces nitrogen losses in the form of nitrate and dinitrogen oxide gas.

Controlled conversion of ammonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen

The N stabilisers contained in the stabilised fertilisers retard the conversion of ammonium to nitrate. For this, the activity of the bacteria (nitrosomonas) responsible for this conversion are inhibited selectively and bacteriostatically. This stabilises the fertiliser nitrogen in the topsoil. The plants feed on the ammonium nitrogen as well as the nitrate nitrogen from this N depot because these are released according to the requirements of the plants.

Thus, several N dosages can be combined without simulating excessive plant growth. The nitrogen-stabilising effect lasts for 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the fertilising date and amounts. This conversion is influenced by the soil type, the soil temperature and the moisture content - parameters that also influence plant growth. An optimum supply of N that is appropriate to the plants requirements is thus achieved over a long period of time.

Diagram: conversion of fertiliser nitrogen in the soil with an N stabiliser

Stabilised nitrogen at the right time and at the right place

The retarded conversion of ammonium nitrogen means that the fertiliser nitrogen remains in the topsoil zone in the stabilised form. The nitrogen is thus protected from undesirable migration of nitrate into deeper soil layers. In regions with a presummer dryness, it is found in the root zone due to utilisation of the winter moisture because it can be applied at earlier dates and in greater quantities.

The stabilised nitrogen is thus available at the right time and at the right place, independent of the weather conditions. Plants can thus be nourished according to their requirements and on time. This improves the yields and the quality of the harvested products and leads to an improved N efficiency.

Diagram: Principle of nitrogen stabilisation