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re:mx210guy-discussion on using NH3 and how that affects soil biology
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rebuilder
Posted 1/27/2015 10:50 (#4342089)
Subject: re:mx210guy-discussion on using NH3 and how that affects soil biology


Bourbon,Indiana

mx210guy,

Sorry for the late reply. I had actually typed out a fairly long post Sat morning, but I mis-clicked with my mouse and deleted it. Here is your question from your post below, and my response:

"How many no till guys side dress or use anhydrous as there N source? My question is that I have been told it's bad for your soil and soil life but no till is suppose to help it. Doesn't make sense to me to use a practice that works against the goal of no till."

 You are correct that NH3 will kill just about anything in contact with it. But what we need to remember is that band of NH3 is only a small proportion of the whole soil profile. My old soil physics professor has research that only about 10% of worms may be killed by NH3. But only within the small band of the application zone. And mainly the smaller red worms which frequent the upper 4-6" of soil. The night crawlers deeper in the soil generally are not affected by the NH3 band as much. At sidedress time, the larger night crawlers and some other worms have moved down deeper into the soil to escape the dry, and heat of summer. Her research indicates that most worm populations recover fairly quickly after NH3 applications.....and can even flourish, due to more vegetation  (food ) from the fertilization.

Here are a couple of articles which break down some common myths of NH3: http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1477

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/faq7758

And this one looks specifically into the microbe numbers: http://fieldcrop.msu.edu/uploads/documents/Anhydrous%20Ammonia%20in%20soil.pdf

....and the same can be said for the microbes. Unless you are saturating the soil with a broadcast application of NH3 at high rates, the bands only account for a small % of the soil profile as a whole, and therefore only a the portion of fungi / microbes which are in contact with that band will be affected.

I will say that one way I mitigate the affect of NH3 mortality is to use 60" centers. Only every-other-row gets NH3: a band which is more concentrated and in contact with much less soil than the normal 30" bands.Therefore, fewer microbes are in contact with the band and are killed....slowing down the N conversion rate. See attached pics...

Think of it this way......many of us give blood. Yet, while we are short of a pint, it has no LONG TERM effect on us as our body readily creates more blood. I stipulate the same analogy could be said of this debate. NH3 does kill in a local zone. However, the soil biosphere will be able to recover quite quickly, and will essentially have no long term effect.{disclaimer--I'm sure there are some poor soils or environments which will be an exception to this rule....an unhealthy, poorly drained soil may be injured by the killing of its small supply microbes}

Also....if using 28%(or other sources of N) were soo much better for soil health, why is there not research proving that? Keep in mind 28% will kill soil life that comes into contact with it too. I do not see any difference in soil health from my neighbors who use other N than my NH3 soils. And NH3 has been used on this farm many years (40+).

I do see where some that use 28%, the corn seems to run out of gas late in the season. This is where I really like the staying power of NH3. The fact that the NH3 killed of the N eating microbes, means it (N) stays in the soil available to the plant much longer and is not lost down into the soil as nitrates. (See table 2 in this link): http://www.uwex.edu/CES/ag/issues/Nloss.html

I hope I have answered your question?



 




Edited by rebuilder 1/27/2015 11:10




(N in the soil (Large).jpg)



(June 2013 040 (Medium).jpg)



(replantingsidedressing 2011 006 (Large).jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments N in the soil (Large).jpg (147KB - 161 downloads)
Attachments June 2013 040 (Medium).jpg (183KB - 163 downloads)
Attachments replantingsidedressing 2011 006 (Large).jpg (134KB - 170 downloads)
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