Vizura^®

Nitrification Inhibitor

Vizura^® is a nitrification inhibitor for use with slurry and digestate. Vizura^® keeps nitrogen in the ammonium form for longer, reducing losses and optimising plant nutrition.

Vizura^® : Enhancing the value of your slurry and digestate

Available exclusively from Hutchinsons, Vizura^® reduces nitrogen losses by keeping the nitrogen from slurry and digestate in the ammonium form for a longer period of time. This reduces losses from nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions and helps keep the nitrogen available to crops when they need it.

Benefits

Keeps nitrogen in the ammonium form for longer
Improves nitrogen use efficiency
Reduces nitrate leaching
Reduces nitrous oxide emissions
Increases yield
Provides advantages of ammonium-based nutrition

At low soil temperatures (5^°C), ammonium is converted into nitrate in around 6 weeks. Vizura^® extends this period considerably to around 10 – 14 weeks, keeping nitrogen from slurry and digestate in the ammonium form for longer than normal. At 20^°C, ammonium is converted into nitrate in around only one week. Vizura^® extends this conversion period to around 4 – 6 weeks.

Significant amounts of nitrogen are lost during and after the spreading of slurry and digestate. This nitrogen can be lost as ammonia and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere or through nitrate leaching. By keeping nitrogen in the ammonium form for longer, Vizura^® reduces nitrogen losses from nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions.

Nitrate is mobile in the soil and can easily move to the lower soil layers and finally into the groundwater. By delaying the conversion from ammonium into nitrate, Vizura^® reduces the risk of nitrate leaching.

Nitrous oxide is a damaging greenhouse gas 298 time more potent than carbon dioxide. It builds up in the ground as a side effect of nitrification and denitrification.

Arguably, the most significant benefit of Vizura^® is that it has been proven to reduces emissions of nitrous oxide from slurry and digestate by over 40%.

By keeping nitrogen in the ammonium form for longer and thus reducing nitrogen losses, more nitrogen is available to crops and greater yields can be achieved. Across 17 BASF trials in winter wheat, Vizura^® increased yields by an average of 5%, whilst across 24 BASF trials in maize, Vizura^® increased yields by an average of 7%.

Ammonium-based nutrition can result in the following advantages:

Plants can use the ammonium directly for protein synthesis, thereby saving energy. Nitrates first need to be converted by the plant into ammonium which requires energy
Ammonium uptake results in improved availability of phosphate and micronutrients due to a lowering of the pH value around the roots
Ammonium-based nutrition encourages root growth and increases the plant’s resistance to stress