The role of temperature on the behaviour of AGROGEL^®

Hydrolyzed jelly-based fertilizers for agricultural use are nitrogenous organic fertilizers that modulate in time the release of nitrogenous forms that can be assimilated by plants. The protein nitrogen in the gela-tin can be used by plants, following mineralization processes capable of turning it into mineral nitrogen (N-NH4 and N-NO3).

These processes:

• are carried out through several organic matrix degradation stage
• depend on metabolism of numerous micro-organisms

These are experiments with no cultivations under way, on soil without vegetation at two different temperatures. Control consists in non-fertilized soil.

Graphic synthesis of experimental data.

 

We may note that:

• at 23°C nitrate accumulation is significant already at the first week, and displays an increase trend;
• this increase trend holds for all the nitrogen that can be assimilated (nitric and ammoniacal) with respect to control, from the first week already.

► CONCLUSIONS

• During the winter season (5°C), the processes that produce N-ammoniacal are not particular-ly marked, and ensure, when spring temperatures arrive, ready availability of nitrogen that can be quickly turned into N-nitric.
• The amount of N-ammoniacal obtained at winter temperatures is adsorbed by the soil and does not cause losses from leaching.