Nutrient Content, %

From Havlin, Beaton, Tisdale and Nelson (1999)

Ammonium Nitrate NH₄NO₃
Fertilizer-grade NH₄NO₃ contains between 33 and 34% N and is a more popular fertilizer in Europe than in North America. In 1995 about 1.7 million metric tons of NH₄NO₃ were used in the United States. The N0₃- and NH₄+ components of NH₄NO₃ are readily available to crops, and thus this N fertilizer is widely used in cropping situations in which growing crops are topdressed with N. NH₄NO₃ has some disadvantages, which include

I .Very hygroscopic; care must be taken to prevent caking and physical deterioration in storage and handling.

2. High risk of fire or even explosions unless suitable precautions are taken; intimate contact with oxidizable forms of C such as fuel oil produces an explosive mixture that is widely used as a blasting agent.

3. Less effective for flooded rice than urea or NH4+ fertilizers

4. More prone to leaching and denitrification than NH4+ products.