AMMONIUM CHLORIDE AS A NITROGEN FERTILIZER: CHLORIDE ION EFFECTS ON YIELDS AND UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY CROPS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Robert Woodson Teater, B.S., M.S. The Ohio State University 1957 Approved by: Adviser Department of Agronomy AC KNOWLED GEMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation and thanks to Dr. H. J. Mederski under whose supervision and guidance this study was conducted; to Dr. G. W. Volk for his advice, encouragement, and criticism of the manu­ script; and to Dr. E. 0. McLean and Dr. C. J. Willard for criticism and assistance in preparing the manuscript. Thanks is also extended to other faculty members and graduate students of the Department of Agronomy for their assistance and cooperation during the course of the study. The author is grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Columbia Southern Chemical Corporation through a grant-in-aid agreement with the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. For her patience and assistance the author is deeply grateful to his wife. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION............................. 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ' . 5 NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION................ 12 I. GENERAL FIELD STUDIES MATERIALS AND METHODS. * .............................. 13 Soil, Crops, and Fertilizers....................... 13 Sampling and Harvesting............................ 14 Analytical Procedures.............................. 15 EXPERIMENTAL........................................... 21 Comparison of Ammonium Chloride and Ammonium Sulfate in Broadcast Applications for Continuous Corn.................................... 21 Procedure........................................ 21 Results and Discussion.......................... 21 Comparison of Ammonium Chloride and Ammonium Sulfate in Row Applications for Corn............... 30 Procedure........................................ 30 Results and Discussion.......................... 31 Comparison of Ammonium Chloride, Ammonium Nitrate and Ammonium Sulfate for Wheat when Applied at Planting................................ 33 Procedure........................................ 33 Results and Discussion. ...................... 33 iii \ Page Comparison of Ammonium Chloride, Ammonium Nitrate, and Ammonium Sulfate for Wheat Applied as Spring Top Dressing................................ 34 Procedure...........................................37 Results and Discussion......................... 37 Comparison of Ammonium Chloride, Ammonium Nitrate, and Ammonium Sulfate for Oats when Applied at Planting................................ 38 Procedure...........................................38 Results and Discussion....................... 38 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.................................. 4l II. NUTRIENT ION UPTAKE STUDIES MATERIALS AND METHODS.................................... 43 Technique of Study.................................... 43 Analytical Methods.................................... 46 EXPERIMENTAL........................................... 49 Optimum Time and Solution Concentration for Accumulation of KC1 by Corn Seedlings................ 49 Procedure. .................................. 49 Results and Discussion.......................... 49 Relative Competitive Effects of Chloride, Nitrate, and Phosphate Anions on Their Mutual Uptake by Corn Seedlings.........................................51 Procedure...........................................52 Results and Discussion. ....................... 52 iv Page Exchange of Plant Chlorides with Ions in the Outside Solution.......................................59 Procedure...........................................60 Results and Discussion. ..... ............. 60 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS................... ...... 65 LITERATURE CITED...................................... 65 AUTOBIOGRAPHY............................................. 70 v LIST OP TABLES Page Table 1. Effect of form of nitrogen and rate of broadcast application on yield of corn. 23 Table 2. Chloride content of Miami silt loam plow layer under different fertilization treatments over a two year period............. 24 Table 3. Chloride content of corn plant leaves grown on Miami silt loam under different fertilization treatments.......................26 Table 4. Nitrogen and phosphorus content of corn leaves as compared to chloride content. 28 Table 5- Effect of high applications of ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate on soil pH. 29 Table 6. Effect of source of nitrogen on yield of corn and on chloride* nitrogen* and phosphorus content of the leaves.............. 32 Table 7* Yield of wheat as affected by various sources of nitrogen and rates of fertili­ zation..........................................35 Table 8. Chloride content of wheat plants and grain yield as affected by various sources and rates of nitrogen..........................36 Table 9 . Chloride content of soil* chloride and nitrogen content of oat plants* and yield of oats as affected by various nitrogen carriers and rates of application............. 39 Table 10. Effect of absorption time and solution concentration on accumulation of KC1 by corn seedlings.............................. 50 Table 11. Change in pH of KC1 solution after absorp­ tion by corn seedlings for different periods of time. .......................... 50 vi Page Table 12. Uptake of various combinations of potassium salts by corn seedlings........................5^- Table 13. The effects of aeration and nitrate con­ centration of the substrate on uptake of nitrate and loss of chloride by corn seed­ lings...................................... 62 vii LIST OP FIGURES Page Fig. 1. Cell assembly used to determine chloride. 17 Fig. 2. Potentiometric titration of 15 ml. of 0.01 N KC1 solution with 1/71 N AgNO^. 19 Fig. 5. Eleven day old corn seedlings grown in silica sand....... ■ ......................... 47 Fig. 4. System for aeration of corn seedlings during uptake studies....................... 47 Fig. 5. Relative effects of the complementary ions Cl“ or HgPO^ on the uptake of NOz" by corn seedlings.............................. 55 Fig. 6. Relative effects of the complementary ions NO" or HpPO: on the uptake of Cl" by corn seedlings.............................. 56 Fig. 7 . Relative effects of the complementary ions Cl“ or NOz on the uptake of HpPOju by corn seedlings................... 57 viii INTRODUCTION Ammonium chloride is produced primarily as a by-product of the Solvay process for making sodium carbonate. Normally, the ammonium chloride is decomposed by lime and the ammonia formed is recycled in the process. However, with an out­ side source of ammonia, the ammonium chloride may be extract­ ed from the process and used as a nitrogen fertilizer or for other purposes. As a nitrogen fertilizer it would com­ pete with other nitrogen materials provided it was economi­ cally priced and that the total chloride content would not exceed the point where injury to crops occurs. The effects of chloride have been reported to be either beneficial or detrimental depending upon the concentration, growth medium, crop, and climatic conditions. The -essenti­ ality of chlorine for plant growth has been neither fully affirmed nor denied. At any rate, large quantities are not required. In fact, it has long been known that large quanti­ ties are in some way detrimental to most crops. Rather large amounts of potash fertilizer in the form of potassium chlor­ ide are being applied to the soils in eastern United States. Thus, additional amounts of chloride may bring about a tem­ porary but undesirable excess of soil chlorides immediately following the application of fertilizer. 1 The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate ammonium chloride as a source of nitrogen for field crops and to secrue information relative to its properties and effects on soil-plant relationships. The mechanism of chloride injury will he a prime consideration in this in­ vestigation. REVIEW OP LITERATURE The element chlorine occurs in most soils and plants and it is usually in the form of water soluble chlorides. The chloride ion, being extremely mobile, is held very slightly by soils and may be taken up by most plants with extreme ease. The amount of Cl in plant material is quite variable. The extremes of Cl content in Kentucky burley tobacco were 0.02 to 1.05 per cent and in some dark grades the extremes were 0.04 to 2.99 per cent (44). The use of fertilizers containing Cl increases the Cl content of the sap of corn plants in approximate proportion to the amount supplied in the fertilizer (39). Irwin (30) found the average Cl concentration of the cell sap of Nitella to be 0.128 M. This value was much higher than that of the water in which the plant had grown. The presence of Cl in plant material has led to several investigations concerning plant requirements for and toler­ ance to this element. The literature on this subject, though not extensive, is difficult to coordinate and summar­ ize because of the diverse experimental conditions and pro­ cedures employed in both the field and laboratory. Although the essentiality of Cl for plant growth has not been wholly accepted, most work shows some beneficial response from its presence in small quantities. Eaton (17) reported beneficial effects of this element for growth of tomatoes and cotton in sand and solution cultures. Lipman (34) found that buckwheat and peas were improved when Cl was present in the solution cultures. Recently,