Ammonium-lime nitrate, its properties and application. Ammonium nitrate: how to properly apply fertilizer Calcium ammonium nitrate granulated

ANNOTATION

The review article discusses methods for obtaining calcium ammonium nitrate (IAS) and provides information about its agrochemical characteristics. IAS can be stored and transported unpacked. In warehouses, this nitrogen-calcium fertilizer does not cake in the autumn-winter period and retains 100% friability for 7 months. IAS with a high content of CaCO 3 almost does not acidify the soil environment and therefore is used on acidic soils. IAS with a lower content of CaСO 3 and a higher content of nitrogen is recommended for use on soils with a neutral and alkaline reaction. When limestone or chalk is used as the starting material for the production of AAS, it contains two nutrients, nitrogen and calcium. But when dolomite is used, magnesium also appears in its composition. These three elements play a very important role in plant life. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all plants. Calcium is found in all plant organs. The lack of calcium, first of all, affects the development of the root system. Cabbage, alfalfa, clover consume the most calcium. Magnesium plays an important physiological role in the process of photosynthesis. Potatoes, sugar and fodder beets, tobacco, legumes and legumes absorb the greatest amount of magnesium.

ABSTRACT

In overview article it was considered ways of the preparation of carbonate ammonium nitrate (CAN) and was given some information about its agricultural chemistry properties. CAN can be kept and carried in unpacking form. In addition, this nitrogen calcium fertilizer in autumn and winter seasons does not packed in the storages and reserves 100% friability for 7 monthes. CAN with high contents of CaCO 3 nearly do not acidize the soil ambience and is therefore used on acidic soils. CAN with smaller contents of CaCO 3 and large contents of the nitrogen are recommended use on ground with neutral and alkaline reaction. When as source material for production CAN is used limestone or chalk, it contains two nourishing elements - a nitrogen and calcium. But when is used dolomite, in its composition appears and magnesium. These three elements play a very greater role in lifes of the plants. The nitrogen is the most important nourishing element of all plants. Calcium is contained in all vegetable organ. The defect calcium, first of all, tells on development of the root system. Most of all, calcium comsume the cabbage, lucerne, dutch clover. The magnesium plays the important physiological role in the process of the photosynthesis. The most amount of magnesium absorbs the potatoes, sugar and stern beet, tobacco, legumes and bob herbs.

Introduction. Ammonium nitrate (AN) is one of the most effective and most widely used nitrogen fertilizers in the world. It can be used on all types of soil and under all crops. It is applied as the main fertilizer and in top dressing. In Uzbekistan, three large industrial enterprises JSC "Maxam-Chirchik", "Navoiazot" and "Ferganaazot" produce it for agriculture. The total capacity of these three plants is 1.7 million tons of saltpeter per year.

But this fertilizer has two very serious drawbacks - this is its caking during storage and increased explosiveness. If they learned to deal with caking by introducing various additives into saltpeter, then the problem of explosiveness has not been completely resolved. To eliminate the caking of saltpeter, sulfate, sulfate-phosphate, sulfate-phosphate-borate additives, caustic magnesite and other substances are introduced into it in a small amount (up to 0.5%). But the best of them was caustic magnesite.

Pure ammonium nitrate is known to be an oxidizing agent capable of sustaining combustion. Under normal environmental conditions, AS is a stable substance. When it is heated in a closed space, when the products of thermal decomposition cannot be freely removed, nitrate can explode under certain conditions. It is also capable of detonating when subjected to a strong shock load or when initiated by explosives.

As substances - additives that reduce the level of potential hazard of ammonium nitrate-containing fertilizers, the following are used in large quantities:

Substances containing the ammonium cation of the same name: ammonium sulfate, ammonium ortho- and polyphosphates;

Other ballast substances that do not carry a payload, but determine only the mechanical dilution of the AU (gypsum, phosphogypsum and others).

Strengths of calcium carbonate as an additive to AC:

Allows regulation of the ratio of limestone: NH 4 NO 3 in a wide range with a decrease in the content of NH 4 NO 3 to 60-75%; after all, it has already been proven that the explosive properties of the AU are reduced by bringing the nitrogen content in it to 26-28% by introducing various inorganic additives into its composition;

Obtaining agrochemically valuable fertilizers containing a structure-forming agent and a soil deoxidizer along with the main nutrient component;

Cheapness and availability of the material (large-scale production of natural limestone).

And the weaknesses of this supplement:

Requires appropriate hardware design of the process and virtually eliminates the use of typical equipment for the production of traditional AU;

Weak influence of the carbonate-containing additive as a mechanical component on the distinctive properties of the AU (thermal stability, conditions for the transition of allotropic modifications);

The need for strict control of the impurity composition of the carbonate-containing component;

Despite the noted weaknesses of the lime additive to AS, it is very widely used in the world with the production of the so-called lime-ammonium nitrate (IAS). All over the world, such nitrate with a nitrogen content of 20-33% is produced and supplied by 42 companies. Of these, 31 firms are in Europe: in Germany - 6, Belgium - 4, Spain - 5, England - 3, Greece - 2, Holland - 3. The rest of the firms are located in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. The share of IAS capacities is estimated at about 7%. In Belgium, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands, IAS is used instead of AS. In recent years, Russian plants: Angarsk plant of mineral fertilizers, Kuibyshev Azot, OJSC Dorogobuzh, OJSC Nevinnomyssky Azot and Novomoskovsk AK Azot began to produce IAS with a nitrogen content of 32%.

Methods for the production of lime-ammonium nitrate. The essence of the IAS production process consists in mixing finely ground calcium carbonate (limestone, chalk) with ammonium nitrate melt and granulating the mixture in screw granulators or granulation towers.

In order to carry out a normal granulation process using granulator screws, it is necessary to maintain a constant moisture content and temperature in the granulator in order to work in the optimal zone. Too wet or too dry granulation results in larger or smaller granules, respectively. To obtain 1 ton of 25% nitrogen IAS, it is necessary to feed about 750 kg of a 95-96% solution of AS, 250 kg of limestone (with a moisture content of about 0.5%) and 3 tons of dry recycle (with a moisture content of 0.1-0 ,five%). To evaporate moisture, warm air is supplied to the granulator.

The main difficulty in granulating the IAS melt in the grantower is the frequent clogging of the granulator holes with solid particles. Filtration prior to the granulation process is in many cases not possible, as the suspensions are an integral part of the fertilizer. Works are devoted to improving the process of granulating the IAS melt in towers. As a result of these works, the causes of failures in the operation of the centrifugal granulator (clogging of holes with solid particles) were established, constructive methods for their elimination were patented, an algorithm for calculating the centrifugal granulator was proposed, and a new centrifugal granulator was created in which the holes were no longer clogged with solid particles of the ammonium nitrate-limestone melt.

Ammonium nitrate in the molten state decomposes markedly according to the equation:

NH 4 NO 3 \u003d NH 3 + HNO 3 - 41.7 kcal

and acidity gradually increases. Therefore, when calcium carbonate is mixed with an ammonium nitrate melt, the reaction proceeds

2NH 4 NO 3 + CaCO 3 \u003d Ca (NO 3) 2 + (NH 3) 2 CO 3

At a relatively high mixing temperature of the components, ammonium carbonate decomposes into NH 3 , CO 2 and water. Therefore, the reaction of calcium carbonate with an ammonium nitrate melt is as follows:

2NH 4 NO 3 + CaСO 3 \u003d Ca (NO 3) 2 + 2NH 3 + CO 2 + H 2 O.

Due to this reaction, part of the bound nitrogen is lost in the form of gaseous ammonia and a certain amount of calcium nitrate appears in the mixture, the presence of which has a significant effect on the physical properties of the resulting IAS, increasing its hygroscopicity.

Inhibitors of the formation of calcium nitrate during the fusion of limestone with ammonium nitrate are also sulfuric acid, ammonium, magnesium, calcium, iron sulfates, sodium, potassium and ammonium silicofluorides, diammonium and dicalcium phosphates introduced into limestone in small quantities. The paper states that the introduction of some inorganic additives into lime-ammonium nitrate can significantly reduce the amount of Ca(NO 3) 2 , which is the cause of the increase in the hygroscopicity of the nitrate and its caking. The most effective is the addition of 1% NaH 2 PO 4 . Good results were obtained with the introduction of MgSO 4 into the saltpeter, especially in the case of its preliminary mixing with CaCO 3 . The addition of ammoniated superphosphate reduces the hygroscopicity of saltpeter, but increases its tendency to caking.

The paper proves that the use of dolomite instead of limestone in the production of fertilizers based on ammonium nitrate not only does not harm, but in some cases leads to an increase in yield compared to lime-ammonium nitrate obtained in the usual way. Dolomite was crushed similarly to the limestone used. Melt temperature 155-160°C. The results of the experiments showed that the amounts of water-soluble calcium and magnesium in samples obtained with dolomite are significantly less than in samples with limestone. When using dolomite instead of limestone, nitrogen losses are reduced, since NH 4 NO 3 reacts with dolomite more difficult than with limestone. These positive properties of dolomite are due to the difference in the crystalline structure of limestone and dolomite, the latter forming a double salt complex.

Studies of the properties of lime-ammonium nitrate have shown that when used as an additive, dolomite reduces the loss of nitrogen in the form of NH 3 during the production, storage, transport and use of fertilizer. Due to the higher hygroscopic point, the product does not cake during storage.

Agrochemical efficiency of lime-ammonium nitrate. IAS is produced in the form of granules with a content of 21-28% nitrogen and a different ratio of ammonium nitrate and calcium carbonate. For example, a fertilizer containing 21% nitrogen contains 60% NH 4 NO 3 and 40% CaСO 3, with 26% nitrogen - 74% NH 4 NO 3 and 26% CaСO 3, respectively. IAS with a high content of CaCO 3 almost does not acidify the soil environment and therefore is used on acidic soils. IAS with a lower content of CaСO 3 and a higher content of nitrogen is recommended for use on soils with a neutral and alkaline reaction. The presence in IAS of two forms of nitrogen - nitrate and ammonium - make it more effective than calcium nitrate and urea, not to mention anhydrous ammonia.

When limestone or chalk is used as the starting material for the production of AAS, it contains two nutrients, nitrogen and calcium. But when dolomite is used, magnesium also appears in its composition. These three elements play a very important role in plant life.

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all plants. It is part of such important organic substances as proteins, nucleic acids, nucleoproteins, chlorophyll, alkaloids, phosphatides and others. Nucleic acids play an important role in the metabolism in plant organisms. They are also carriers of the hereditary properties of living organisms. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the role of nitrogen in these vital processes in plants. In addition, nitrogen is the most important component of chlorophyll, without which the process of photosynthesis cannot proceed, and therefore, the most important organic substances for human and animal nutrition cannot be formed. It should also be noted the great importance of nitrogen as an element that is part of enzymes - catalysts of life processes in plant organisms. Nitrogen is included in organic compounds, including the most important of them - the amino acids of proteins. Nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, together with carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, are the building blocks for the formation of organic matter and, ultimately, living tissue. Academician Dmitry Nikolaevich Pryanishnikov spoke very well about the importance of nitrogen: “Assimilated soil nitrogen, unless special measures are taken to increase its content, is currently the main limiting factor of life on earth.”

Calcium has a multilateral positive effect on the plant. In nature, plants rarely lack this element. It is necessary on strongly acidic and alkaline soils, which is explained by the saturation of the absorbing complex in the first case with hydrogen, in the second with sodium. Calcium is found in all plant organs. The lack of calcium primarily affects the development of the root system. Root hairs cease to form on the roots, through which the bulk of nutrients and water enters the plant from the soil. In the absence of calcium, the roots become slimy and rot, their outer cells are destroyed, the tissue turns into a slimy structureless mass.

Calcium also has a positive effect on the growth of aboveground plant organs. With a sharp lack of it, chlorotic leaves appear, the apical bud dies off and the growth of the stem stops. Calcium enhances the metabolism in plants, plays an important role in the movement of carbohydrates, influences the conversion of nitrogenous substances, and accelerates the consumption of seed storage proteins during germination. One of the important functions of this element is its influence on the physicochemical state of protoplasm - its viscosity, permeability and other properties on which the normal course of biochemical processes depends. Calcium also affects the activity of enzymes. Soil liming significantly affects the biosynthesis of vitamins.

Crop plants tolerate varying amounts of calcium. Most calcium is consumed by cabbage, alfalfa, clover, which are highly sensitive to high soil acidity.

Magnesium is part of chlorophyll, phytin, pectin, it is found in plants and in mineral form. There is more of it in seeds and young growing parts of plants, and in grain it is localized mainly in the embryo. The exceptions are root and tuber crops, most of the legumes, which have more magnesium in the leaves. Magnesium plays an important physiological role in the process of photosynthesis. It also affects redox processes in plants, activates many enzymatic processes, especially phosphorylation and regulation of the colloid-chemical state of cell protoplasm. Magnesium deficiency inhibits the synthesis of nitrogen-containing compounds, especially chlorophyll. An external sign of deficiency of this element is leaf chlorosis. In cereals, a lack of magnesium causes marbling and banding of the leaves; in dicotyledonous plants, the leaf areas between the veins turn yellow.

Magnesium deficiency manifests itself, first of all, on acidic soddy-podzolic soils of light granulometric composition. The lighter the soil in terms of granulometric composition and the more acidic they are, the less they contain magnesium and the more acute the need for magnesium fertilizers. Potatoes, sugar and fodder beets, tobacco, legumes and legumes absorb the greatest amount of magnesium. Hemp, millet, sorghum, corn are sensitive to the lack of this element.

From an agrotechnical point of view, IAS is practically neutral, does not acidify the soil, as happens when using ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate, and its systematic use does not require supporting liming. IAS with a nitrogen content of 20% is considered an alkaline fertilizer, about 23% - neutral, with 26% or more - slightly acidic. It consists of half fast-acting nitrate (nitrate nitrogen) and half slow-acting ammonium nitrogen with a long aftereffect; ammonium nitrogen in the soil binds to organic and clay fractions. IAS can be applied in autumn and spring for all crops, as well as top dressing during the growing season.

IAS has taken a strong place in the range of nitrogen fertilizers in Western and Eastern European countries. In Germany, for example, its share in the total amount of nitrogen fertilizers exceeds 50%, in the Netherlands - 70%, and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it completely replaced ammonium nitrate. This is explained by the fact that the soils in these countries are mostly acidic. The negative properties of acidic soils include:

High acidity of soils;

Insufficient content of mobile forms N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O;

Poor agrochemical, agrophysical and physical properties;

Increased content of mobile forms of aluminum;

Low biological activity of the soil;

The negative effect of a high concentration of hydrogen ions on the physicochemical state of the protoplasm, the growth of the root system, and the metabolism of plants;

Active development of such forms of fungi as penicillium, fusarium, trichoderma;

Active mobilization of toxic heavy metals.

High acidity of the soil is a scourge for the crop. This is what neutralizes calcium carbonate, which is part of the lime-ammonium nitrate.

With the main introduction of IAS under cereal crops on weakly cultivated acidic soils [pH (KCl)< 6] урожаи зерна, как правило, выше, чем при применении мочевины (на 2-3 ц/га) или сульфата аммония (на 3-4 ц/га), а на окультуренных почвах с рН 6,5-7,2 – такие же, как и при использовании аммиачной селитры или сульфата аммония, и выше, чем мочевины. Это хорошо иллюстрируется данными таблицы 1, где сравнивается эффективность ИАС и мочевины в двух нормах по азоту на почвах с разными уровнями кислотности .

Table 1

Grain yield of spring wheat (c/ha) on soils of different acidity with the use of IAS and urea (fertilizers were applied randomly without incorporation

pH(KCl)

Urea

The decrease in the effectiveness of urea on neutral and alkaline soils is explained by the increased gaseous loss of ammonia as a result of fertilizer hydrolysis. The classification of soils according to the degree of acidity is given in Table. 2.

table 2

Soil grouping according to the degree of acidity, determined in the salt extract

Acidic soils are common in Western and Eastern Europe, Belarus and in the non-chernozem zone of Russia. Soil acidification also occurs in Ukraine. Among the arable lands of the CIS countries, there are about 45 million hectares of soils with high acidity, and more than 60 million hectares in need of liming. These are mainly soddy-podzolic and light gray forest soils. Some acidic soils are found among marsh, gray forest soils and red soils.

In relation to soil acidity, field crops are divided into groups:

Group I - beets (sugar, fodder), red clover, alfalfa, mustard; the most sensitive to soil acidity, require a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (pH 6.2-7.0) and respond very well to liming;

Group II - corn, wheat, barley, peas, beans, turnips, fodder cabbage, Swedish clover, foxtail, bonfire and pelushka, vetch; need a slightly acidic and close to neutral reaction (pH 5.1-6.0), respond well to liming;

Group III - rye, oats, timothy, buckwheat, tolerate moderate soil acidity (pH 4.6-5.0), respond positively to high doses of lime;

Group IV - sunflower, potatoes, flax easily tolerate moderate acidity and require liming only on strongly and moderately acidic soils;

Group V - lupine and seradella; insensitive to increased soil acidity.

In table. 3 shows the pH ranges favorable for the development of various crops.

Numerous studies of the agrochemical efficiency of urea and a solution of urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN), conducted in the last decade in the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, have shown that these fertilizers are equal in effect or slightly inferior to UAN when incorporated into the soil for winter wheat and rye, spring barley and oats, potatoes and sugar beets. When applied randomly, urea is inferior to IAS, primarily on sandy and calcareous soils, where nitrogen losses during volatilization are especially high.

Table 3

pH intervals for crop development

culture

pH interval

culture

pH interval

fodder beans

walnut

Parsnip

Grape

Sunflower

Blueberry

woodpile

Tomatoes

Cocksfoot

strawberries

Cauliflower

cabbage

leafy cabbage

lettuce

Potato

Sugar beet

Celery

Corn

Cotton

tea bush

Solutions of urea with ammonium nitrate are convenient for foliar feeding of grain and row crops. Experiments have shown that the effectiveness of such top dressings is inferior to the effect of dry IAS: when top dressing sugar beets, the quality of root crops was lower than when presowing the entire dose of nitrogen in the form of calcium ammonium nitrate. Late top dressing of winter crops with solutions of urea and carbamide with nitrate acted much worse than the surface application of IAS, especially in dry weather.

IAS, especially modern varieties with a high nitrogen content (26-28%), does not solve the problem of physiologically acidic fertilizers (ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate). When using it, there remains the need for periodic application of lime materials.

With all methods of introducing IAS, gaseous losses of nitrogen on alkaline soils are minimal. With surface application at random, depending on the content of exchangeable calcium in the soil (1.8-18.7 meq per 100 g) and clay (8-50%), nitrogen volatilizes 7-23 kg/ha at an application rate of 120 kg/ha. At the same time, when plowing under a plow, losses are reduced to 3-12 kg/ha, with local application - up to 1-5 kg/ha. Under identical conditions, 20-48, 16-39 and 9-24 kg/ha of ammonium nitrogen volatilize from 120 kg/ha of applied nitrogen from urea.

The loss of nitrogen from the IAS does not depend on the size of the granules if the particle diameter does not exceed 6.3 mm. There is no dependence on the rate of fertilizer application. From urea, at high rates on sandy loamy soils, 15 days after surface application, up to 20% of nitrogen is lost.

Thus, IAS remains not only an economical, but also an environmentally friendly fertilizer, especially when applied locally.

IAS can be stored and transported unpacked. In warehouses, this nitrogen-calcium fertilizer does not cake in the autumn-winter period and retains 100% friability for 7 months. Dry fertilizer mixtures of lime-ammonium nitrate, ammophos and potassium chloride with a ratio of N: P 2 O 5: K 2 O = 1: 1: 1 are resistant to segregation.

Conclusion. In order to eliminate the disadvantages of AS, a technology was developed for obtaining IAS by introducing lime materials into the ammonium nitrate melt. Granulation of the ammonium nitrate melt with limestone flour is carried out either in a screw granulator or in a granulation tower. In the production of IAS, limestone or chalk can be replaced by dolomite. Its use not only does not harm, but leads to an increase in yield compared to calcium-ammonium nitrate obtained in the usual way. When limestone or chalk is used as the starting material for the production of AAS, it contains two nutrients, nitrogen and calcium. But when dolomite is used, magnesium also appears in its composition. These three elements play a very important role in plant life.

IAS is more hygroscopic than pure ammonium nitrate. And its caking is 2.4-3.0 times less than the caking of saltpeter. IAS with a high content of CaCO 3 almost does not acidify the soil environment and therefore is used on acidic soils. IAS with a lower content of CaСO 3 and a higher content of nitrogen is recommended for use on soils with a neutral and alkaline reaction.


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Fertilizer ammonium nitrate is used as the main means, and as a top dressing of plants. Refers to substances with high water solubility and concentration. The main advantage over others is that it contains nitrogen in ammonium and nitrate form in equal proportions. But since ammonium nitrate is an explosive substance, to eliminate this quality, lime-ammonium nitrate is produced.

Use this fertilizer taking into account climatic conditions. If it often rains, then natural leaching occurs, so the main application should be made with a deepening in the ground. In the future, the feeding method is used. In persistently dry weather (no precipitation), it can be applied in the fall.

Characteristics and chemical formulas

Lime-ammonium nitrate is a mechanical mixture of ammonium nitrate and limestone (dolomite). A granular substance containing the following useful elements: nitrogen (28%), nitrogen in the nitrate form (14%), calcium and magnesium oxides (4 and 2%) and a very small (1.5%) proportion of water. Flowability - 100%.

Chemical formulas:

  • ammonia - NH4N03;
  • lime-ammonia - NH 4 NO 3 + CaCO 3.

Purposes of application

Lime-ammonium nitrate increases the metabolism in plants, especially during the growth period during the formation of stems and leaves. Improves the ability of plants to form chlorophyll (when the leaves of plants turn pale and turn yellow, this is the first sign of its deficiency). Promotes active development of roots (in the formation of root hairs). Increases activity in redox processes. Regulates soil acidity.

Application process

Instructions for use of ammonium nitrate is quite simple.

Lime-ammonium nitrate will show all its useful qualities under the following conditions:

  • placement directly at the root system;
  • application before the main tillage (or together with it);
  • top dressing, in accordance with the needs of crops in a specific period of growth, development and fruit formation.

Ammonium nitrate is used both in the main (direct) soil fertilization and in the form of dressings.

Basic application rates:

  • 20–30 g/m2, in annually fertilized areas.
  • 35–50 g/m 2 , on depleted soils, or those that are just beginning to develop.

Application rates for top dressing.

Not everyone knows what ammonium nitrate is, so let's take a closer look at this fertilizer, and also find out how and where it is used. Ammonium nitrate is a mineral granular fertilizer of white color with a gray, yellow or pink tint, up to four millimeters in diameter.

Ammonium nitrate description and composition of the fertilizer

A fertilizer called "ammonium nitrate" is a fairly common option among summer residents, which has found wide application due to the presence of about 35% nitrogen in its composition, which is very necessary for the active growth of plants.

Saltpeter is used as a growth regulator of the green mass of the plant, to increase the level of protein and gluten in cereals, as well as to increase productivity.

Did you know? In addition to the name "ammonium nitrate", there are others: "ammonium nitrate", "ammonium salt of nitric acid", "ammonium nitrate".

For the manufacture of ammonium nitrate, ammonia and nitric acid are used. Ammonium nitrate has the following composition: nitrogen (from 26 to 35%), sulfur (up to 14%), calcium, potassium, magnesium. The percentage of trace elements in saltpeter depends on the type of fertilizer. The presence of sulfur in the agrochemical contributes to its full and rapid absorption by the plant.

Types of ammonium nitrate

Pure ammonium nitrate is rarely used. Based on the geography of application and the needs of farmers, this agrochemical is saturated with various additives, which means that it is useful to know what kind of ammonium nitrate is.

There are several main types:

Simple ammonium nitrate- the first-born of the agrochemical industry. It is used to saturate plants with nitrogen. This is a highly effective starter dressing for crops that are grown in the middle lane and may well replace urea.


Ammonium nitrate grade B. There are two varieties: the first and second. It is used for primary feeding of seedlings, with a short duration of daylight hours, or for fertilizing flowers after winter. Most often, it is it that you can buy packaged in 1 kg in stores, since it is well preserved.

Potassium ammonium nitrate or Indian. Great for feeding fruit trees in early spring. It is also poured into the ground before planting tomatoes, since the presence of potassium improves the taste of the tomato.

Ammonium-lime nitrate. It is also called Norwegian. Available in two forms - simple and granulated. It contains calcium, magnesium and potassium. Granules of this saltpeter are distinguished by good keeping quality.

Important! Granules of lime-ammonium nitrate are treated with fuel oil, which does not decompose in the ground for a long time, which will protect it from pollution.

All plants are fertilized with this type of saltpeter, since it does not cause an increase in soil acidity. The advantages of using this agrochemical include easy digestibility by plants and explosion safety.

Magnesium saltpeter. Since this type of ammonium nitrate does not burn plants, it is used for foliar feeding. It is also used as an auxiliary magnesium and photosynthesis accumulator in the cultivation of vegetables and beans. Highly effective is the use of magnesium nitrate on sandy and sandy loamy soils.


calcium nitrate. Both dry and liquid saltpeter are produced. It is used for feeding vegetables and ornamental plants on soddy-podzolic soils with high acidity. Apply calcium nitrate before digging up the site or under the root.

Sodium nitrate or Chilean holds up to 16% nitrogen. Ideal for the precipitate of all beet varieties.

Porous ammonium nitrate- fertilizer, which, due to the special shape of the granules, has not found its application in the garden. It is explosive and is used to make explosives. It cannot be purchased privately.

barium nitrate. It is used in the creation of pyrotechnic tricks, as it is able to color the flame green.

Did you know? Saltpeter is used not only as fertilizer, but also for the production of wicks, black powder, explosives, smoke bombs, or paper impregnation.

How to properly apply ammonium nitrate in the garden (when and how to apply, what can and cannot be fertilized)

Saltpeter, as a fertilizer, has found wide application among gardeners and summer residents. In the process of plant growth, it is applied before digging up the beds and under the root. However, it is not enough to understand that ammonium nitrate can be used as a fertilizer, it is important to know what exactly can be fertilized with it. Below we will talk about all the intricacies of using such a substance in agriculture, because as you know: everything is fine, but in moderation.
To get the maximum benefit from the fertilizer, the consumption rate of ammonium nitrate should not exceed the consumption recommended by the manufacturer (calculated in grams per square meter):

  • Vegetables 5-10 g, fertilize twice per season: the first time before budding, the second - after the formation of fruits.
  • Root crops 5-7 g(before applying top dressing, deepenings are made in the aisles, about three centimeters deep, and fertilizer is poured into them). Feeding is carried out once, twenty-one days after the appearance of sprouts.
  • Fruit trees: young plantations require 30-50 g of the substance, which is applied in early spring, when the first leaves appear; fruit-bearing trees 20-30 g, a week after flowering, with a repeat in a month. Scatter the precipitate around the perimeter of the crown before watering. If you use a solution, then they need to add trees three times per season.

Important! Diluted saltpeter is quickly absorbed by the plant. The solution is prepared as follows: 30 grams of saltpeter is diluted with ten liters of water.

  • shrubs: 7-30 g (for young), 15-60 g - for fruiting.
  • Strawberry: young - 5-7 g (diluted), giving birth - 10-15 g per linear meter.
Ammonium nitrate is used both as a main top dressing and as an additional one. If the soil is alkaline, saltpeter is used on an ongoing basis, and in acidic soil, it is used in combination with lime, not only as the main, but also as an additional fertilizer.

Since 50% of the nitrogen in saltpeter is in the form of nitrate, it is well distributed in the soil. Therefore, it will be possible to get the maximum benefit from the fertilizer when it is applied during the period of active growth of the crop with abundant watering.

The use of ammonium nitrate with potassium and phosphorus is considered more effective. On light soils, saltpeter is scattered before plowing or digging for planting.

Important! To avoid spontaneous combustion, saltpeter must not be mixed with peat, straw, sawdust, superphosphate, lime, humus, chalk.

Scatter ammonium nitrate over the soil, before watering, and even in dissolved form it still needs to be watered. If you apply organic fertilizers under trees and bushes, then saltpeter is required by a third less than organics. For young plantations, the dosage is reduced by half.

Ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer, in reasonable doses, can be used to feed almost any plant. However, it is important to know that cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini and squash cannot be fertilized with it, since in this case the use of saltpeter will help to accumulate nitrates in these vegetables.

Did you know? In 1947, in the United States, 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded on a cargo ship, and the shock wave from the explosion also blew up two overflying aircraft. From the chain reaction, which was caused by the explosion of the planes, nearby factories and another ship carrying saltpeter were destroyed.

Advantages and disadvantages of using ammonium nitrate in the country

Ammonium nitrate, due to its affordability and easy digestibility by plants, has found wide application not only in the garden, but also in the country. The advantages of using saltpeter on the site include:

  • ease of use;
  • simultaneous saturation of plants with all useful substances that are required for their full development;
  • easy solubility in water and wet soil;
  • positive result even when applied to cold ground.

Nitrogen-calcium physiologically neutral fertilizer, also contains trace elements zinc and copper, which improve the absorption of nitrogen and magnesium from the soil solution.

Price - 7700 UAH/t

In lime - ammonium nitrate, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen are present in equal amounts, which makes it a universal highly effective mineral fertilizer. The indisputable advantage of using lime - ammonium nitrate is the absence of the need for further additional liming of the soil.

Calcium - as an important element of cell walls and a structural component of chromosomes, contributes to the regulation of enzymatic activity in plants, due to which the absorption of other nutrients, especially nitrogen, is ensured. Calcium lime nitrate helps to strengthen the straw of grain crops, increase the strength of the peel, the quality of tubers and root crops, which significantly reduces the loss of agricultural products during storage.

Lime nitrate is used as an independent fertilizer and as a component in the production of fertilizer mixtures.

Physical - chemical composition

Nitrogen is the most important biological element, which is the main part of all proteins and amino acids, nucleic acids, alkaloids, chlorophyll, many vitamins, hormones and other biologically active compounds. All enzymes that catalyze the processes of the bomen of substances in plants are protein substances.

Magnesium - participates in the process of photosynthesis, being part of chlorophyll, and plays an important role in the activation of enzymes that carry out the entry and movement of phosphorus in plants. With a lack of magnesium, plant chlorosis is observed and growth stops.

Calcium - promotes the transport of carbohydrates in plants, improves the solubility of many compounds in the soil, promotes the absorption of important nutrients by plants. Calcium and magnesium strengthen cell walls and their bonding to each other, promote the development of the root system, and are essential nutrients. An acute deficiency of this element is manifested in the formation of whitish leaves on the upper young parts of plants and the loss of turgor of the upper leaves and stems. Even in potatoes that are resistant to excessive acidity of the soil, the upper leaves hardly bloom, the growing point of the stem dies off.

On acidic soils, where nitrates accumulate, losses of applied nitrogen can reach 50-55%. Therefore, the optimal reaction of the environment in the soil and the content of nutrients is the main condition for good nitrogen nutrition of plants with nitrogen when applying nitrogen fertilizers.

Lime-ammonium nitrate is the only universal nitrogen fertilizer for all soils and plants. When used systematically, it outperforms other forms of nitrogen fertilizers in acidic soils. Thus, field experiments have shown that the systematic application of calcium ammonium nitrate on acidic soil is 3.3 times more effective than conventional ammonium nitrate.

The optimal reaction of the environment (especially when cultivating malting barley) in the soil and the content of nutrients is the main condition for good and valuable plant nutrition when fertilizing.

Therefore, the systematic use of conventional forms of nitrogen fertilizers, the need of plants for magnesium increases even more, as a result of which it is necessary to use IAS neutralized with dolomite, which under these conditions is more effective than neutralized with limestone. The use of IAS in doses of 3-5 q/ha provides about 50% of the annual need of plants for magnesium.

IAS does not cake, does not burn, and does not explode even with strong detonation.


More than 50 million hectares of soils in the Russian Federation have an excessively acid reaction of the environment, more than 48% of arable soils have an insufficient content of calcium and magnesium. Therefore, in the conditions of cessation of liming of acidic soils, it is relevant to produce such a form of nitrogen fertilizer, which, along with providing plants with nitrogen, does not acidify the environment in the soil and supplies plants with calcium and magnesium. This form is lime-ammonium nitrate.

Lime ammonium nitrate(SIA) - an alloy of ammonium nitrate with dolomite (calcium and magnesium carbonate) is a nitrogen-magnesium-calcium fertilizer with a neutral reaction. The content of nitrogen in it is 27%, carbonates -17%, in the ratio Ca:Mg =1:1.

In terms of physical and chemical properties, IAS in accordance with TU 2181-019-00205311-2000 has the following indicators:

Nitrogen- the most important biological element, which is an integral part of all proteins and amino acids, nucleic acids, chlorophyll, alkaloids, many vitamins, hormones and other biologically active compounds. All enzymes that catalyze metabolic processes in plants are protein substances.

Magnesium- participates in the process of photosynthesis, being part of chlorophyll, and plays an important role in the activation of enzymes that carry out the intake and movement of phosphorus in plants. With a lack of magnesium, plant chlorosis is observed and growth stops.

Calcium - promotes the transport of carbohydrates in plants, improves the solubility of many compounds in the soil, promotes the absorption of important nutrients by plants. Calcium and magnesium strengthen cell walls and their bonding to each other, promote the development of the root system, and are essential nutrients. An acute deficiency of this element is manifested in the formation of whitish leaves on the upper young parts of plants and the loss of turgor of the upper leaves and stems. Even in potatoes that are resistant to excessive acidity of the soil, the upper leaves bloom with difficulty, the stem growth point dies off.

On acidic soils, in which nitrates accumulate, the loss of applied nitrogen can reach 50-55%. Therefore, the optimal reaction of the environment in the soil and the content of nutrients is the main condition for good nitrogen nutrition of plants with nitrogen when applying nitrogen fertilizers.

Lime-ammonium nitrate is the only universal nitrogen fertilizer for all soils and plants. When used systematically, it outperforms other forms of nitrogen fertilizers in acidic soils. Thus, field experiments have shown that the systematic application of calcium ammonium nitrate on acidic soil is 3.3 times more effective than conventional ammonium nitrate.

The optimal reaction of the environment (especially when cultivating malting barley) in the soil and the content of nutrients is the main condition for good and complete plant nutrition when fertilizing.

Therefore, with the systematic use of conventional forms of nitrogen fertilizers, the need of plants for magnesium increases even more, as a result of which it is necessary to use IAS neutralized with dolomite, which under these conditions is more effective than neutralized with limestone. The use of IAS at doses of 3-5 q/ha provides about 50% of the annual plant demand for magnesium.

IAS does not cake, does not burn, and does not explode even with strong detonation.

The above facts indicate that lime-ammonium nitrate is a highly effective, environmentally friendly fertilizer, which, moreover, does not require complex and expensive technology for use in agriculture in the Russian Federation.

The influence of magnesium on the productivity of cereal crops:

On the left - the effectiveness of the use of calcium-ammonium nitrate containing magnesium;

On the right is the application of ammonium nitrate on a background limed with lime flour.