New nitrification inhibitor developed for better nitrogen use in agriculture

Recently, the research team led by Professor Wu Lifang from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed copper pyrazole, a novel nitrification inhibitor, and a slow-release fertilizer coated with it.

“This new approach aims to improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency in agriculture,” said Dr. Duan Yan, a member of the team.

The related findings were recently published in Frontiers in Microbiology.

Enhancing nitrogen (N) use efficiency has become a hot issue in global agricultural research currently. Among numerous coping strategies, the application of nitrification inhibitors has attracted much attention. Nitrification inhibitors can improve the availability of N by regulating the structure and function of the soil microbial community and slowing down the nitrification and denitrification processes.

In this study, the research team developed a novel nitrification inhibitor—copper pyrazole and its coated slow-release fertilizer and analyzed its mechanism of action.

Researchers conducted a 60-day soil experiment to study how copper pyrazole affects soil ammonium and nitrate nitrogen levels, as well as its impact on the soil’s microbial community. The results showed that copper pyrazole slows down the nitrification and denitrification processes in nitrogen transformation. It does this by reducing urease activity and lowering the levels of nitrification genes (AOB—amoA) and denitrification genes (nirK) in the soil.

Further research also found that copper pyrazole changed the soil’s microbial community structure and function. By analyzing the data, the team identified key microorganisms that play important roles in nitrogen cycling. Additionally, the coated slow-release fertilizer treatment helped improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use.

This discovery provides scientific support for using nitrification inhibitors wisely and offers a new approach for sustainable agriculture.