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Every single autumn day matters to Prairie growers – and yet, there never seem to be enough of them to get everything done that needs doing. This is why Western Canadian farmers seeking to apply anhydrous ammonia post-harvest often find themselves fighting both the ticking clock and dropping soil temperatures.
“When I'm talking to farmers and agronomists, I always like to joke that there has to be some benefit to living in the Prairies,” says Bryce Geisel, senior agronomist, representative for Koch Agronomic Services in Canada. “Getting the cold winters that we do, one of those benefits is that we can put nitrogen on in the fall and, once it's locked in there, it's locked in there. We're not losing it. So, let's take advantage of that.”
Once applied to the soil, ammonia quickly converts to ammonium before transitioning to nitrate within about two weeks. Slowing down this conversion is key to preventing nitrogen loss through leaching and denitrification.
Here’s how nitrification inhibitors play a role in keeping nitrogen in the root zone longer to support early establishment of next season’s crops.
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