What is the difference between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate? Distinguishing the two nitrogen fertilizers this way
What is the difference between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate? What is the difference in application methods between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate? The following Gengzhongbang Planting Network gives a brief introduction for netizens' reference. 1. Ammonium nitrate. Characteristics of ammonium nitrate. The chemical formula of ammonium nitrate: NH4NO3, containing 33%-34% nitrogen (N), including ammonium and nitrate...
What is the difference between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate? What is the difference in application methods between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate? The following Gengzhongbang Planting Network gives a brief introduction for netizens' reference.1. Ammonium nitrate
Characteristics of ammonium nitrate. The chemical formula of ammonium nitrate: NH4NO3, containing 33%-34% nitrogen (N), of which ammonium and nitrate forms of nitrogen each account for half. Since both ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen can be directly absorbed by crop roots, it has the advantage of dual nitrogen sources in meeting crop nutritional needs, so it is widely favored by crops, especially many cash crops among dryland crops such as fruits, melons and vegetables, and tobacco. The fate of ammonium nitrate after being applied to soil is relatively complex, and the two forms of nitrogen are very different. Ammonium nitrogen carries a positive charge and can be held and retained in the soil by negatively charged soil colloids. But the other half, nitrate nitrogen, carries a negative charge and cannot be held by soil colloids (which are also negatively charged). It exists in a free state in the soil and moves with water, and may be leached below the root zone and wasted, so special care is needed when applying it. Generally, it is only applied as topdressing during the period of vigorous crop growth, in small amounts and multiple times.
The second characteristic of ammonium nitrate is its strong water solubility and quick fertilizer effect. It is not only easily soluble in water, but also easily soluble in non-aqueous solvents, such as liquid ammonia, in which its solubility is also very high, and it dissolves quickly. This high solubility makes it a main component in preparing liquid nitrogen fertilizers such as nitrogen solutions.
The commercial characteristics of ammonium nitrate are very prominent. It is a nitrogen fertilizer variety with relatively strong hygroscopicity, caking tendency, and flammability and explosiveness. Due to strong hygroscopicity, it absorbs moisture and then cakes and deteriorates, and improper management during storage can easily cause fire or explosion. Therefore, ammonium nitrate products are also a type of explosive raw material. These characteristics not only bring great difficulties to agricultural use, but may also cause fire or explosion during storage and transportation. So for many years researchers have focused on improving its performance, and several new products of modified ammonium nitrate have appeared on the market, with ammonium sulfate nitrate being a typical one.
2. Ammonium sulfate nitrate
Composition, characteristics and application of ammonium sulfate nitrate. The chemical formula of ammonium sulfate nitrate is (NH4)2SO4+NH4NO3. It is made by mixing ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate in a certain proportion and then melting them together. It is generally light yellow or grayish-yellow granules, easily soluble in water, with no precipitate.
The main properties of ammonium sulfate nitrate are low hygroscopicity, stable chemical properties, resistance to caking, and relatively safe storage and transportation. It is suitable for agricultural application and contains 1/4 nitrate nitrogen and 3/4 ammonium nitrogen. Ammonium sulfate nitrate does not form obvious acidity when applied to soil and is close to a physiologically neutral fertilizer, whereas applying ammonium sulfate alone can form strong acidity in soil and is a physiologically acidic fertilizer. It is suitable for many kinds of soil and can be bulk blended or applied directly. Its commercial fertilizer properties are obviously improved compared with ammonium nitrate, such as being granular and free-flowing, dust-free, convenient for storage and application, low hygroscopicity, not easy to cake, and not easy to explode or burn.
The composition of ammonium sulfate nitrate differs among products produced by different companies. For example, those produced in the United States and Germany are not the same.
3. Application methods of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate
In terms of application, ammonium sulfate nitrate contains nitrogen and sulfur, and is especially suitable for various crops that favor nitrogen and sulfur, including cruciferous plants and onions and garlic. It can generally be applied to the soil as topdressing, and can also be applied with irrigation. Soil application should be used as topdressing, and it is not suitable as a base fertilizer. Because ammonium sulfate nitrate contains sulfur, it has the effect of increasing both the nitrogen uptake rate and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency compared with applying nitrogen fertilizer alone. The application method is similar to that of ammonium sulfate, and the fertilizer effect is somewhat faster than ammonium sulfate. The application rate can be about 5-10 kg per mu, and it should not be mixed with alkaline fertilizers, so as to avoid nitrogen volatilization loss and reduced fertilizer efficiency. When applying ammonium sulfate nitrate to acidic soil, a small amount of lime should be applied together, and the two must be applied separately, with an interval of 3-5 days. Ammonium sulfate nitrate has good water solubility, and in addition to soil application, it is also suitable for fertigation and foliar spraying, with quick fertilizer effect.
The above is the introduction by Gengzhongbang Planting Network of the differences between ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate nitrate. If you have better additions, please leave a comment below to tell us.