Download Temperature and rainfall effects on dicyandiamide (DCD) longevity in soils under field conditions

Nitrification inhibitors have the potential to reduce nitrogen (N) loss from soils and increase N use efficiency. As the name suggests, nitrification inhibitors work by inhibiting the transformation of N via the nitrification pathway which results in prolonged ammonium retention in soils. Dicyandiamide (DCD) is an effective nitrification inhibitor to reduce N losses from soils, but DCD is susceptible to loss via biodegradation by the soil’s microbial community and leaching, downwards movement through soils that can be induced by rainfall. The purpose of this project is to develop calculation methods to estimate the effects of temperature and rainfall on DCD longevity in pastoral soils under field conditions.