Urea is the main source of N used in agriculture, but has large losses in irrigated rice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of N sources alternative to urea for use by rice applied at different stages of plant development through the quantification of N-NH3 and agronomic parameters. The experiment was conducted in the field in the agricultural years 2007/08 and 2008/09. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications. The treatments consisted of different N sources applied at seeding, tillering and at the stage of floral differentiation: control without N, urea, urea + urease inhibitor, two sources of liquid N (N-28 and N-30) ammonium sulfate and urea + sulfur. In both seasons, the volatilization of N-NH3 at seeding was almost negligible, whereas in the V4 stage, the source that was less volatilized was the ammonium sulfate. Yield response varied among years, probably due to the availability of N in the soil and climatic aspects. When economically advantageous, the use of urease inhibitor and ammonium sulfate provide yields similar to urea supply.
volatilization; urease inhibitor; ammonium sulfate; fertilizer fluids
