CSBP marks 100 years in WA with the roll out of Urea Sustain

This year marks 100 years of CSBP trials and research in partnership with WA growers, and the company is not slowing down in offering new products to its customers.

CSBP Fertilisers is introducing a new high-efficiency source of nitrogen, Urea Sustain, to its list of products, available exclusively to its customers.

The new coated fertiliser provides increased application flexibility and nutrient use efficiency, helping to reduce the emissions intensity of crop production.

CSBP demonstrated the potential benefit of Urea Sustain at a trial in Three Springs in 2022, which compared the efficacy of post-emergent applications of urea, Flexi-N, and Urea Sustain, with Urea Sustain outyielding urea by about 25 per cent.

CSBP Fertilisers general manager Mark Scatena said the exciting results represented a step change in efficiency from using granular nitrogen.

“Grain sampling results confirm that the nitrogen uptake of the crop following application of Urea Sustain exceeded that of urea standalone,” Mr Scatena said.

“Interestingly, the performance of Urea Sustain was similar to that of Flexi-N, confirming the efficiency benefit of both products.

“The conditions at the Three Springs trial were conducive to volatilisation losses; CSBP will include about 10 trials of Urea Sustain in its Field Research program for the 2023 season to demonstrate its benefits under a range of soil and climactic conditions.”

Mr Scatena said Urea Sustain extended CSBP’s commitment to research and product development, making innovative products available to improve grower productivity and profitability.

“In the 1970s, it was Agras; the 1990s saw the introduction of Flexi-N; and the 2000s saw K-Till and MacroPro come to the market,” he said.

CSBP said Urea Sustain had a unique formulation that provided superior storage and handling.

Under certain conditions, up to 30 per cent of nitrogen from untreated urea can be lost via volatilisation as ammonia gas and Urea Sustain restricts this loss pathway, leaving more nitrogen available to the crop.

The coating applied to Urea Sustain contains two active ingredients (NBPT, a volatilisation inhibitor, and DMPP, a nitrification inhibitor) that limit nitrogen loss from urea.

It also reduces the possibility of nitrogen losses resulting from nitrification and denitrification processes, increasing crop-available nitrogen and limiting potential nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

Ammonia losses are most likely to occur when urea is applied to moist soil without sufficient rainfall to wash it into the soil profile.

In contrast, nitrous oxide losses can occur under anaerobic conditions, such as waterlogging or compaction.

This means that the inhibitors in Urea Sustain are most effective at reducing losses when these conditions are present.

CSBP said Urea Sustain increases the application window and reduces the risk of nutrient loss when an application of urea is not followed by a rain event, helping growers manage logistical constraints and confidently make top-up applications.

Urea Sustain will be available in limited quantities in 2023, and will be sequentially made available across the State in the coming months.