What are the application methods and precautions for using ammonium bicarbonate to control pests and diseases?
Ammonium bicarbonate is a fast-acting nitrogen fertilizer that can quickly provide nutrients for crop growth and can also effectively control the occurrence of crop pests and diseases. Many farmers use ammonium bicarbonate to control pests. What are the application methods for using ammonium bicarbonate to control pests and diseases? What are the precautions?
I. How is ammonium bicarbonate used?
1. Mix with farmyard manure and apply deeply: when planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, mix 20-25 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu evenly with farmyard manure and apply it into the ridged soil. This can drive away and kill white grubs that harm young seedlings. Before planting vegetables such as Chinese chives, garlic, cowpeas, and cucumbers, mix 25-30 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu evenly with farmyard manure and apply deeply. This can kill root maggots and cutworms.
2. Dilute and spray on leaves: for example, when aphids appear on melons, fruits, and vegetables, dilute ammonium bicarbonate to 80-100 times, and use a sprayer to evenly spray the stems and leaves of these crops. This can kill aphids and reduce fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases such as late blight and verticillium wilt.
3. Use with copper sulfate as raw materials to make a homemade pesticide: use 3.8 kg of ammonium bicarbonate and 0.5 kg of copper sulfate ground into powder, mix evenly, then immediately add 1 kg of lime and mix well. Put it into a container or an airtight nylon bag and seal it for 24 hours to make “copper-ammonium powder.” When using, dilute this copper-ammonium powder with water at 1200-1500 times according to the copper sulfate content to make a “copper-ammonium mixture.” Spraying it on vegetables and cotton can not only control fungal and bacterial diseases but also provide foliar topdressing.
II. Precautions for using ammonium bicarbonate
1. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be sprayed on leaves: ammonium bicarbonate is strongly corrosive to crop leaves and easily burns them, so it cannot be used as a fertilizer for foliar spraying on crops.
2. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be applied to dry soil: because when the soil is dry, even if it is applied deeply and covered, the fertilizer cannot dissolve and be adsorbed in time for crops to absorb and use.
3. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be applied at high temperatures: the volatility of ammonium bicarbonate is closely related to temperature. The higher the temperature, the stronger the volatilization, so ammonium bicarbonate should not be applied under high temperatures and scorching sun.
4. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be mixed with alkaline fertilizers: mixing ammonium bicarbonate with strongly alkaline plant ash, lime, etc., or applying them at the same time, will lead to nitrogen loss through volatilization and reduce fertilizer efficiency, so ammonium bicarbonate should be applied alone.
5. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be mixed with bacterial fertilizer: after application, ammonium bicarbonate releases a certain concentration of ammonia gas. If it comes into contact with bacterial fertilizer, it will kill the living bacteria in the bacterial fertilizer and cause it to lose its yield-increasing effect.
6. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be mixed with superphosphate and left overnight before use: although mixing ammonium bicarbonate with superphosphate has a better effect than applying each separately, the mixture should not be stored for long, let alone overnight, because superphosphate becomes more hygroscopic, causing the mixed fertilizer to become slurry or clump and become unusable.
7. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be mixed with urea: generally, crop roots cannot directly absorb urea. Only after it is converted into ammonium nitrogen under the action of urease in the soil can it be absorbed and used by crops. After ammonium bicarbonate is applied to the soil, it causes the soil solution to briefly become acidic, which accelerates the volatilization loss of nitrogen in urea, so ammonium bicarbonate must not be mixed with urea.
8. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be stored together with pesticides: ammonium bicarbonate and pesticides are both chemical substances and are highly prone to moisture and hydrolysis. Storing the two together easily causes chemical reactions and reduces fertilizer and pesticide efficiency.
9. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be used as seed fertilizer: ammonium bicarbonate is strongly irritating and corrosive. The ammonia gas released during decomposition will fumigate the seeds upon contact, and may even burn the seed embryos, affecting germination and emergence.
10. Ammonium bicarbonate must not be applied on the soil surface: when applying ammonium bicarbonate as a base fertilizer, on dry land it should be placed in furrows or holes and applied deeply 7-10 cm, covering with soil and watering while applying. In paddy fields, it should be applied while plowing, then harrowed immediately after plowing so the fertilizer enters the mud and utilization is improved.