by Conventional urea fertilizers have been the mainstay for crop cultivation across the world for several decades. However, their inefficiencies and potential environmental impacts have led researchers to explore more sustainable alternatives. One such alternative is sulfur coated urea (SCU), which offers several agronomic and environmental benefits over conventional urea. This article discusses the key aspects of SCU including its composition, advantages over plain urea, use in agriculture, and scope for widespread adoption.
Composition and mechanism of action
SCU consists of small prilled urea granules coated with a thin layer of elemental sulfur. The sulfur coating controls the urea release into the soil, extending its availability to plants over an extended period. In conventional urea, the nitrogen is water soluble and largely gets lost through leaching, run-off or volatilization within a short span after application. In contrast, the sulfur coating in SCU slows down the breakdown of urea granules and regulates the nitrogen release over 2-6 months depending on soil temperature and moisture levels. This prolonged and controlled release matches the crop’s nitrogen uptake rate more closely.
Agronomic advantages
The regulated nitrogen release characteristics of sulfur-coated urea bring several agronomic benefits over plain urea:
– Higher nitrogen use efficiency – By releasing nitrogen to match crop needs, SCU reduces nitrogen losses through leaching or volatilization. This translates to 15-30% higher nitrogen use efficiency compared to plain urea.
– Increased crop productivity – The prolonged and steady nitrogen supply through the cropping season ensures continuous availability to crops. This boosts crop yields by 5-30% depending on the crop and soil conditions.
– Less fertilizer requirements – Due to better uptake and utilization of nitrogen, farmers need to apply 15-30 kg less nitrogen per hectare if using SCU instead of urea.
– Flexible application timings – SCU can be applied well ahead of planting or as top dressing, providing flexibility in application timings.
Environmental advantages
The environmental profile of SCU is more favorable relative to conventional urea:
– Reduced greenhouse gas emissions – Less nitrogen lost through runoff, leaching or volatilization in the case of SCU means lesser nitrous oxide emissions which has 300 times global warming potential than carbon dioxide.
– Improved water quality – Lesser nitrogen reaching water bodies with SCU application helps reduce eutrophication and algal blooms in rivers and oceans. Nitrate contamination of groundwater is also lessened.
– Lower soil acidification – Controlled nitrogen release from SCU matches crop uptake requirements better, reducing soil acidification caused by surplus nitrogen accumulation.
Uses in major crops
SCU has been extensively adopted across the world for major staple crops such as rice, wheat and maize due to its suitability:
Rice cultivation:
– In flooded rice fields, SCU releases nitrogen slowly over the 3-4 month cropping period, ensuring continuous supply for high-yielding varieties.
– Retards ammonia volatilization which is a major loss pathway in flooded soils.
Wheat cultivation:
– Provides steady nitrogen during winter season when urea breaks down quickly in urea-treated soils.
– Suitable for varied sowing windows due to flexibility in application timings.
Maize cultivation:
– Meets heavy nitrogen demands of hybrid maize varieties for sustained productivity.
– Maintains soil fertility when used as basal dose before sowing or as top-dressing.
Scope for adoption
With established agronomic and environmental benefits, SCU has been widely adopted across Asia, Africa and Latin America in the past few decades. However, its potential is yet to be fully realized globally:
– In South Asian countries, adoption rates range between 30-60% indicating ample scope for further replacement of urea with SCU.
– African countries offer significant headroom due to low existing fertilizer consumption and suitability of SCU for major staple crops.
– Widespread smallholder farming in Asia and Africa necessitates fertilizer forms like SCU that are forgiving of varied application conditions.
– Developed markets such as Europe and North America are increasingly favoring more sustainable inputs. SCU aligns well with their focus on efficient resource usage.
Continued efforts are underway to raise awareness among farmers and policymakers. Easier availability, competitive pricing relative to urea and promotion through fertilizer subsidy programs can help accelerate SCU adoption globally. This will aid in curtailing environmental costs of intensive agriculture while boosting productivity.
Conclusion
With established benefits over conventional urea fertilizers, sulfur coated urea has emerged as a promising sustainable alternative. Its regulated nitrogen release characteristics ensure higher nutrient use efficiency and crop productivity. Adoption of SCU also brings favorable environmental impacts through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved water quality. While adoption levels have grown over the past few decades, especially in Asian countries, greater awareness and accessibility can unlock its potential across other major agricultural regions and cropping systems. SCU thus provides a means to balance agricultural productivity goals with environmental protection imperatives on a large scale.
*Note:
1.Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2.We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc.
