Nitrogen deficiency is characteristic of many mid-rotation Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation soils in the Piedmont region of the Southeast. Fertilization with urea is the most common method used to correct this deficiency. Previous studies show that urea fertilization produces a rapid pulse of available N with only a portion being utilized by plantation trees. Controlled release fertilizers release available N slowly over a longer period of time, and therefore may result in a greater uptake efficiency. The objective of this study was to compare a controlled release Nitrogen fertilizer (ureaform) versus urea by measuring the effects of the two fertilizer treatments on extractable-N, mineralized-N, ion resin exchangeable-N, and volatilized-N. Over two growing seasons, fertilization with the controlled release ureaform resulted in significantly greater and prolonged availability of total extractable-N, mineralized-N, and ion resin exchangeable-N, than the fertilization with Urea or the control. N volatilization after fertilization with Urea was compared to N volatilization following fertilization with controlled release ureaform
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