A simple and inexpensive method to estimate nitrogen loss in its ammonium (NH3) form from a conventional tillage system.
Dear Prof.Dlamini,
try with this link http://www.alfam.dk/
You can download a simple model developed by Søgaard et al. (2002), ALFAM, which can calculate ammonia volatilization with different techniques and soil cover. There is also the opportunity to select three different methods to assess ammonia emission.
Thank you so much Francesco, this is really helpful. I will work on it and get back you should I need any more assistance. Thank you again
The simplest method is to use an ammonia trap. In this method, the ammonia is trapped in the boric acid-mixed indicator solution. As the colour changes you know for sure that ammonia released has been absorbed in it. You can then titrate with sulphuric acid and calculate the amount of ammonia released. See the paper attached and other publications of Nelson and Sommer. You will need to experiment and find out the quantity of boric acid that will be required and the volume of the trap that is ideal for your study. This would depend on the type of the crop, soil type, fertilizer application rate. More importantly, weather permitting. If you have a temporary type of a trap with polythene sheets a cheap alternative to get an idea of what is really happening.
Thank you so much Desouza, I really appreciate, I find your method very helpful. I will experiment and get back to you.
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