Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer
Ammonium nitrate is widely used as a fertilizer in the agricultural industry. In many countries its purchase and use is restricted to buyers who have obtained the proper license. This restriction is primarily because it is an attractive and simple component used in the production of fertilizer bombs. Ammonium nitrate has a nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium (or N-P-K) ratio of 33-0-0. Since pastures should receive 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre at green-up in spring, you will need to apply approximately 175 pounds of ammonium nitrate per acre.
Many farmers benefit from using Ammonium nitrate fertilizer compound on their vegetable or fruit crops because it is extremely affordable and does a great job bolstering all kinds of harvests.
Ammonium nitrate Fertilizers are necessary to help keep soil healthy and to help plants to thrive. Most farmers love to use this type of fertilizer because it has very little effect on the PH level in the soil. The presence of nitrates in the formula provides a virtually uninterrupted supply of nitrogen to the crops, which not only helps to make crops more productive but also allows farmers to apply it regardless of the season.

Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is also flexible when it comes to use in any location and the amount that should be applied to the land. Depending on the kind of soil and climate, as long as the fertilizer is used consistently to deliver a constant supply of nitrogen to the fields it should be productive.
Nitrogen is a vital element for plant life. It stimulates root growth and photosynthesis, as well as uptake of other nutrients. However, 99 % of the nitrogen on earth is stored in the atmosphere and less than 1 % is available in the earth’s crust. The nitrogen molecules (N2) in the atmosphere are chemically inactive and cannot be easily absorbed by plants. The small amount of reactive nitrogen in the soil limits biomass production in natural ecosystems. Agriculture further depletes reactive nitrogen from the soil. Nitrogen is absorbed during plant growth and then exported from the fields by harvesting. It needs to be restored by organic or mineral sources of nitrogen. Fertilizers, whether applied as manure or as mineral nitrogen, are therefore a key element of sustainable agriculture. Lack of nitrogen results in declining soil fertility, lower yields and lower crop quality.

Nitrate (NO3-) is easily absorbed by plants at high rates. Unlike urea or ammonium, it is immediately available as a nutrient. Nitrate is highly mobile in the soil and reaches the plant roots quickly. Applying nitrogen as ammonium nitrate or calcium ammonium nitrate therefore provides an instant nutrient supply.
It is important to note that essentially all the nitrogen in the soil, whether it was applied as urea, ammonium or nitrate, ends up as nitrate before plants take it up. If nitrate is applied directly, losses from the transformation of urea to ammonium and from ammonium to nitrate are avoided.
Ammonium (NH4+) is directly absorbed by plants at low rates. The positively charged ion fixes to soil minerals and is less mobile than nitrate (NO3-). Plant roots therefore need to grow towards the ammonium. Most of the ammonium is transformed into nitrate by soil microbes. This nitrification process depends on temperature and takes between one and several weeks. Another part of the ammonium is immobilized by soil microbes and released only over longer periods of time, thus building up soil organic matter.
Nitrogen needs to be available in sufficient quantities so that it does not limit growth and yield. However, excess amounts of nitrogen beyond short-term plant needs may be lost to the environment or result in luxury consumption. Matching nitrogen availability precisely to current plant needs and actual soil nutrient supply maximizes yield, minimizes environmental impact and optimizes profit.

Split application is considered best agricultural practice under most conditions. Fertilizers offering a predictable release of plant-available nitrogen are best suited for split application. This is the case for ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate, but generally not for urea.
Balanced nutrition is another prerequisite of economic fertilizer use. Insufficient supply of Phosphorus, Potassium or Sulphur can diminish nitrogen use efficiency. Frequent soil sampling provides data on actual supply of nutrients from the soil and fertilizer needs.
Fertilizers are produced by extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere. The process requires energy and thus releases CO2, contributing to global warming. In addition to CO2, fertilizer production also releases N2O, a powerful green house gas.
The climate impact of fertilizers can be measured by its carbon footprint. It is expressed as kg CO2-eqv per kg nitrogen produced. However, to understand the true climate impact of a product, lifecycle analysis needs to be performed, including all steps from production to application.
Each crop a farmer produces and harvests draws valuable nutrients from the soil. Using ammonium nitrate fertilizer is one of the most cost effective and dependable ways farmers can replace these nutrients in order to plant more crops. It can also be easily stored in large quantities under tarp or in a dry, cool and well-ventilated storage area. Farmers benefit from using ammonium nitrate because it saves them money and gives them more flexibility in their crops.
Yet farmers are not the only ones who seek to take advantage of the benefits of ammonium nitrate. In fact, construction companies have started to use it as their preferred explosive over dynamite! It is far more stable than their traditional explosives and it won’t burst without a hydrogen and carbon compound as well as a detonation point.
Privacy Policy