Nitrogen leaching losses from conventional and new nitrogenous fertilizers in low-land rice culture

Summary A pot-culture experiment was conducted to assess the leaching losses of N from the conventional and new nitrogen fertilizers under low-land rice culture. Leaching losses of N were generally less than 20% of applied N with sources other than sodium nitrate and these could be reduced by blending urea with nitrification inhibitor N-Serve or coating withneem cake or by using urea super granules or slow-release N fertilizer sulphur coated urea. These new nitrogen fertilizers were more effective than urea for rice.