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<p>Agricultural soils experience ammonia volatilization losses through urease activity driven rapid hydrolysis of urea fertilizers causing severe decline in nitrogen use efficiency. Synthetic urease inhibitors face limitations related to their costs, instability and environmental toxicity. This study characterized acetone extract of <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> leaves as a natural urease inhibition alternative in maize production system.&#xa0;Field experiments were conducted by supplying maize with 0, 110, and 220&#xa0;kg N ha⁻¹ as split side-dress applications of either uncoated urea or <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> leaf extract-coated urea. The leaf extract used for coating was subsequently characterized by GC–MS analysis.&#xa0;Ammonia volatilization losses were reduced by 28% under 220&#xa0;kg N ha⁻¹ applied through <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> extract coated urea. Notably, an approximately 19% ammonia volatilization reduction by <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> extract coated urea at a reduced N rate (110&#xa0;kg ha⁻¹) caused significant enhancements in grain yield (20.7%), stover yield (20.8%), and nitrogen uptake in grains (24.7%) and stover (24.2%) as compared to uncoated urea. Subsequently, the agronomic efficiency and apparent N recovery were increased by 33% and 28.3%, respectively. Interestingly, the GC-MS characterization of six fractions of <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> extract, exhibiting &gt; 50% jack bean urease inhibition, revealed a suite of fatty acids, their derivatives (including n-hexadecanoic acid and methyl esters) and alkanes likely involved in the potent urease inhibition activity.&#xa0;These findings support the use of <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> extract as an effective natural urease inhibitor to reduce environmental N losses and improve N use efficiency, particularly, in maize production system.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Efficacy of Vachellia nilotica Extract-coated Urea in Maize: Field Performance and Phytochemical Basis of Urease Inhibition

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月5日

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  • Rashid Mahmood,
  • Hina Jabeen,
  • Muhammad Ajmal Rana,
  • Faisal Nadeem,
  • Ejaz Ahmed,
  • Muhammad Bilal Chattha

摘要

Agricultural soils experience ammonia volatilization losses through urease activity driven rapid hydrolysis of urea fertilizers causing severe decline in nitrogen use efficiency. Synthetic urease inhibitors face limitations related to their costs, instability and environmental toxicity. This study characterized acetone extract of Vachellia nilotica leaves as a natural urease inhibition alternative in maize production system. Field experiments were conducted by supplying maize with 0, 110, and 220 kg N ha⁻¹ as split side-dress applications of either uncoated urea or Vachellia nilotica leaf extract-coated urea. The leaf extract used for coating was subsequently characterized by GC–MS analysis. Ammonia volatilization losses were reduced by 28% under 220 kg N ha⁻¹ applied through Vachellia nilotica extract coated urea. Notably, an approximately 19% ammonia volatilization reduction by Vachellia nilotica extract coated urea at a reduced N rate (110 kg ha⁻¹) caused significant enhancements in grain yield (20.7%), stover yield (20.8%), and nitrogen uptake in grains (24.7%) and stover (24.2%) as compared to uncoated urea. Subsequently, the agronomic efficiency and apparent N recovery were increased by 33% and 28.3%, respectively. Interestingly, the GC-MS characterization of six fractions of Vachellia nilotica extract, exhibiting > 50% jack bean urease inhibition, revealed a suite of fatty acids, their derivatives (including n-hexadecanoic acid and methyl esters) and alkanes likely involved in the potent urease inhibition activity. These findings support the use of Vachellia nilotica extract as an effective natural urease inhibitor to reduce environmental N losses and improve N use efficiency, particularly, in maize production system.

Graphical abstract