Urea VS AN

[ajd132]

Yes its a tiger 90 type product sourced via crop advisors comes in 25kg bags which does a hectare in cereals,cant remember the cost a hectare off the top of my head but was a good saving compared to a urea/S blend

Polysulphate could be a useful product in this sort of scenario. It definitely takes ages to break down but applied in the winter could be a very good drip feed of sulphur and the other nutrients it has in it.

 

[Banana Bar]

We are often told AN is better than urea for various reasons, usually by manufacturers. The more I learn about soil health I keep reading that urea is far better for soil biology than AN which is too salty.
thoughts?

My thoughts are that you are trying to justify an AGT 36

 

[robbie]

Polysulphate could be a useful product in this sort of scenario. It definitely takes ages to break down but applied in the winter could be a very good drip feed of sulphur and the other nutrients it has in it.

Ive been using polysulphate for a few years now. It's exactly what I do. I apply it as early as possible in the spring and then just use granular urea. I must admit I do still use some AN though mainly for beet were theres a lot of exposed ground and no guarantee of any rain around application.

As a side note I do wonder if I'm seeing a bit of sulphur deficiency in some fields this year.
I couldn't get the polys on as early as I'd liked and then it came very dry and I dont think much has become available, this rain should sort that and I should have some tissue results back any day to confirm it or not.

 

[ajd132]

My thoughts are that you are trying to justify an AGT 36

I’m concerned about that damage we are doing to soil with AN, it’s quite worrying when you read more into it. And I also want a rauch agt to pull behind the quad.

 

[ajd132]

Ive been using polysulphate for a few years now. It's exactly what I do. I apply it as early as possible in the spring and then just use granular urea. I must admit I do still use some AN though mainly for beet were theres a lot of exposed ground and no guarantee of any rain around application.

As a side note I do wonder if I'm seeing a bit of sulphur deficiency in some fields this year.
I couldn't get the polys on as early as I'd liked and then it came very dry and I dont think much has become available, this rain should sort that and I should have some tissue results back any day to confirm it or not.

We havnt used poly sulphate for a while but I do remember it being like rocks. I’m thinking it could probably be applied in the previous autumn, it. It’s take ages to break down then offers a nice slow release?

 

[Renaultman]

What about liquid with a bit of everything in. I must say, in the last 2 years I have been really pleased with the plants ability to take it up and get going coming out of winter. As I can, and advice was mixed re early N, I have gone with 4 dressings on WW so far it looks ok, only time will tell.

 

[Chae1]

If you fancy a project, look at the mysterious world of CULTAN....

NIAB TAG did some work on urea vs AN vs UAN that will be worth a look. No significant differences in yield but some useful discussion comments. Jim Orson's Oracle was one of the more pithy analyses.

Lots of the ammonium is converted to nitrate, so I don't quite agree with all you say there @CornishTone . Out of interest, do you get that blue tinge of nitrate poisoning in wheat after a good hit of urea like you do after a dose of AN and a shower of rain? Your comments about disease susceptibility are absolutely right. We're stuck in a cycle of dependency where high N forces more fungicides and PGRs.

Worth considering in future that urease inhibitors are likely to become a legal requirement in an effort to reduce GHG emissions, no doubt lobbied for by manufacturers of AN like Yara and CF who want to stop bulk global urea holding AN prices down. AN is a material used in WW2 explosives and just a way of finding an alternative market for it after the war.

I don't know the science behind it. But my agronomist was saying the cultan had quite a dramatic negative affect on soil ph.

 

[T Hectares]

I switched from liquid to mainly Urea 4 years ago, the farm had it's best wheat average last year and a better average over the last 4 than the previous 4, one of it's best OSR years in '17 and its best SB yields last year
The only AN ( not Nitram) I use is the last split on WW as it's generally warmer and drier that time of year and it should help grain proteins everything else is urea and AS (possibly polysulphate next year)

This isn't all down to the fert choice but I feel this shows the Urea is costing us no yield penalty while saving us a tidy sum.

I was slightly sceptical when I started with Urea but really have no worries now.

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

All AmidaS this time 5%AN 35%Urea and 14S03
Winter Wheat 120 kg/N 19th March and another 80kg/N 18th April
Also has had 20N and 45P as liquid compound early Feb
Spring Barley 20N and 45P liquid plus pre-em herbicide
120 kg N when up in the row.
Gate shut now
Great product to spread just think you need to be a touch earlier with urea.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I’m concerned about that damage we are doing to soil with AN, it’s quite worrying when you read more into it. And I also want a rauch agt to pull behind the quad.

Don't worry about it too much. Sure point yourself in the direction of soil health but if you were really worried about it you should be high density holistic grazing

 

[SilliamWhale]

I switched from liquid to mainly Urea 4 years ago, the farm had it's best wheat average last year and a better average over the last 4 than the previous 4, one of it's best OSR years in '17 and its best SB yields last year
The only AN ( not Nitram) I use is the last split on WW as it's generally warmer and drier that time of year and it should help grain proteins everything else is urea and AS (possibly polysulphate next year)

This isn't all down to the fert choice but I feel this shows the Urea is costing us no yield penalty while saving us a tidy sum.

I was slightly sceptical when I started with Urea but really have no worries now.

I too feel I can get better crops with Urea. Obviously I may have improved as well but I like the stuff

 

[ollie989898]

Logically urea must be kinder for the soil chemistry and better for plants.

 

[T Hectares]

I too feel I can get better crops with Urea. Obviously I may have improved as well but I like the stuff

Clearly it's my massive ability which is achieving all this, but Urea certainly isn't impeding me ?

 

[robbie]

We havnt used poly sulphate for a while but I do remember it being like rocks. I’m thinking it could probably be applied in the previous autumn, it. It’s take ages to break down then offers a nice slow release?

I'm told that it becomes available relatively quickly in about a week or so of application and the lumps of rock on the surface are like a tiny honey comb that the nutrients have washed out of.

Dont think I'd apply it in the autumn but it does need to be on early.

I do like the slow release. Tissue tests definitely show it supplies the crop steadily right through the season.

 

[Bogweevil]

Urea only allowed in Germany if inhibited from this year apparently, so more CAN likely to be used, seems AN is not used, interesting that the slow release characteristics of inhibited urea and thus fewer but earlier and more efficient applications not valued more than lower cost but relative inefficiency of CAN :

Germany is leading the fertilizer market with national legislation (as of 1 Feb 2020) allowing the use of urea only with an inhibitor. This is expected to lower the uptake of urea and potentially increase application the already more widely used calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN).

The UK imported 726,169 tonnes of urea in January-November 2019, according to the ICIS demand supply database.

French urea imports for the same period were 1.4m tonnes while Germany imported 448,591 tonnes.

UK Agricultural and Environmental bills taking us the same way I expect.

 

[T Hectares]

I too feel I can get better crops with Urea. Obviously I may have improved as well but I like the stuff

It will be a shame for it to get thrown under the wheels of the environmental bandwagon

 

[teslacoils]

Will inhibited urea be suitable for home melting?

 

[SilliamWhale]

It will be a shame for it to get thrown under the wheels of the environmental bandwagon

All the trade will want it. It will probably stick a big tick in the theoretical global warming box. Will make sod all difference in the real world of course

 

[Farma Parma]

Logically urea must be kinder for the soil chemistry and better for plants.

Silly taller bags a PAIN. i'll stick with Blue ones soz (Spade at the ready)
Blue Bags the single most accurate product to within 20/30kgs on every field i spread it on.

 

[T Hectares]

Silly taller bags a PAIN. i'll stick with Blue ones soz (Spade at the ready)
Blue Bags the single most accurate product to within 20/30kgs on every field i spread it on.

True there's some awful Urea out there but I've had zero issues with Granular Urea spread to 30 m, it had a harder density than Nitram last time SCS tested them here 3 years ago