According to MSc Nguyen Phuoc Tuyen, former Director of the Dong Thap Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, practical studies show that up to 30 - 50% of nitrogen in urea fertilizer can be lost due to evaporation and wasting before plants can absorb it in time. In the current conditions of high temperatures and prolonged heat, this process takes place faster, significantly reducing the efficiency of fertilizer investment. One of the solutions being encouraged is to use biochar (biological charcoal) to cover urea fertilizer grains, helping to "lock" nutrients and limit losses.
Explaining this principle, MSc Tuyen said that Biochar has a porous structure, acting like a "sponge", helping to hold the fertilizer particles tightly and slow the dissolution process. Thanks to that, the amount of protein is retained longer in the soil, reducing evaporation on hot sunny days or being washed away when it rains suddenly. Every farmer can do this method themselves because the process is very simple. With 50kg of urea fertilizer, use about 1.5 - 2kg of fine biochar powder. The fertilizer is poured into a clean ground, then biochar powder is spread evenly on the surface and mixed thoroughly until the fertilizer particles turn a uniform gray-black color. The mixture is then dried in the shade for 1 - 2 hours to increase adhesion, then wrapped in bags and stored in a dry place.
According to MSc Tuyen, this method is quite simple, but brings many short-term and long-term benefits. Not only does it help improve fertilizer use efficiency, but it also contributes to saving input costs, in the context of fluctuating prices of many types of fertilizers, which tend to increase due to the impact of global geopolitics, causing farmers' production costs to increase. In addition, biochar also helps improve soil in a sustainable direction. "The addition of biochar helps the soil become looser, increases moisture retention - a very important factor in the dry season, and creates a favorable environment for beneficial microorganisms to develop," MSc Tuyen emphasized.
In increasingly extreme weather conditions and escalating input costs, simple and easy-to-apply solutions such as using biochar to cover urea fertilizer are considered a practical direction, helping farmers reduce costs, improve production efficiency and move towards sustainable farming.
