Polymer‐Coated Urea Maintains Potato Yields and Reduces Nitrous Oxide Emissions in a Minnesota Loamy Sand

Abstract

Irrigated potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) production requires large inputs of N, and therefore has high potential for N loss including emissions of N 2 O. Two strategies for reducing N loss include split applications of conventional fertilizers, and single applications of polymer‐coated urea (PCU), both of which aim to better match the timing of N availability with plant demand. The objective of this 3‐yr study was to compare N 2 O emissions and potato yields following a conventional split application (CSA) using multiple additions of soluble fertilizers with single preplant applications of two different PCUs (PCU‐1 and PCU‐2) in a loamy sand in Minnesota. Each treatment received 270 kg of fertilizer N ha −1 per season. An unfertilized control treatment was included in 2 of 3 yr. Tuber yields did not vary among fertilizer treatments, but N 2 O emissions were significantly higher with CSA than PCU‐1. During 3 consecutive yr, mean growing season emissions were 1.36, 0.83, and 1.13 kg N 2 O‐N ha −1 with CSA, PCU‐1, and PCU‐2, respectively, compared with emissions of 0.79 and 0.42 kg N 2 O‐N ha −1 in the control. The PCU‐1 released N more slowly during in situ incubation than PCU‐2, although differences in N 2 O emitted by the two PCUs were not generally significant. Fertilizer‐induced emissions were relatively low, ranging from 0.10 to 0.15% of applied N with PCU‐1 up to 0.25 to 0.49% with CSA. These results show that N application strategies utilizing PCUs can maintain yields, reduce costs associated with split applications, and also reduce N 2 O emissions.