Farmers in the Midwest including Illinois routinely invest in nitrogen stabilizers designed to keep more fertilizer nitrogen available to crops and reduce the risk of losses to the environment. Yet despite how widely some of these products are used, surprisingly limited field-scale evidence exists to quantify their impact on nitrate losses under Illinois conditions.
A new research initiative led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign aims to change that.
The four-year, $1.4 million project is funded by the Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council (NREC). It is led by Andrew Margenot, professor in the Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I. Researchers will conduct a statewide evaluation of nitrification and urease inhibitors across 12 research and on-farm sites spanning nine Illinois counties, from southern to northern Illinois.
Several of the same sites are also supporting nearly $1 million in additional research evaluating nitrous oxide emissions with Koch Agronomic Services, allowing researchers to examine multiple pathways of nitrogen loss at the same sites. Nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized soils are a major contributor to the carbon intensity (CI) scores being considered under the federal 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit, and reductions of nitrous oxide, a potent climate-forcing greenhouse gas, may be achieved through the use of nitrification and urease inhibitors. To date, few evaluations exist of comprehensive evaluation of yields, nitrate leaching losses via monitored tiles, and nitrous oxide gas losses, positioning the stacked projects to significantly advance understanding of nitrogen management.
Read the full release from ACES.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.