Effectiveness of the use of urease inhibitors in agriculture: a review

A b s t r a c t. Urea is one of the most popular fertilizers in the world. In 2018, the global production capacity of urea reached the level of 210 million metric tonnes. Due to the fact that the world population is growing steadily, the demand for food is increasing, and thus also the consumption of urea. The use of urea-based fertilizers has negative consequences in the form of ammonia volatilization. The solution to this problem may be the use of urease inhibitors. Currently, inhibitors of synthetic origin are available on the market, while the use of inhibitors of natural origin is still being under trial. The use of the most commonly used urease inhibitor -NBPT together with urea causes a reduction in ammonia emissions and has a beneficial effect on crop productivity. At the same time, the search for inhibitors of natural origin is underway, which, apart from reducing ammonia volatilization into the atmosphere, could have a positive effect on crop yields. In this paper, recent advances in this field are reviewed.