Controlled-release N fertilizer to mitigate ammonia volatilization from double-cropping rice

Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (CRNF) can effectively enhance crop yields and raise the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer in agroecosystems. In the present study, the volatilization of NH3 was determined by airflow enclosure chamber technique after the application of different CRNF rates in double-cropping rice fields in southern China for continuous 3 years. The early and late season rice (ESR and LSR) were cultivated each year. The results showed that the total NH3 volatilization losses ranged from 25 to 56 kg N ha−1 in ESR and from 32 to 61 kg N ha−1 in LSR. The loss of N to the total applied N ranged from 12 to 29% in ESR and from 12 to 27% in LSR. The application of CRNF significantly reduced the cumulative NH3 volatilization losses by 20–43% for ESR and by 20–32% for LSR compared with conventional urea application. CRNF in LSR was less effective to reduce NH3 volatilization than that in ESR. Furthermore, the application of 80% of N rate in the form of CRNF gave higher grain yield and apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency (ANRE) than that of application of 100% of N rate from conventional urea. CRNF can effectively reduce NH3 volatilization, and increase rice yield and ANRE. Considering higher price of CRNF, the application of CRNF at lower (20% applied N) rate than conventional urea in LSR may be a reasonable fertilization strategy for improving N use efficiency, environment effectiveness, and sustaining the development of rice production systems in double-cropping rice.