NORTH AMERICA

Biuret in Urea Fertilizers

By R.L. Mikkelsen

In the past, urea manufacturing processes sometimes resulted in fertilizers with elevated
biuret concentrations. In high concentrations, biuret interferes with internal N metabolism
and hinders protein formation in plants. Biuret is degraded by many soil microorganisms,
but the rate is relatively slow. Modern urea manufacturing typically results in biuret con-
centrations less than 1.0 to 1.3%, which does not pose problems for most uses. There are
some plant species that appear to be especially sensitive to biuret, so “low-biuret” urea
should be used for foliar application in these situations.

U
rea has become the leading form of N fertilizer world-
wide. Urea, a naturally occurring compound, can also
be made by reacting carbon dioxide with ammonia at
high temperature and pressure. Its high N content (46% N)
makes urea economical to produce, transport, and deliver to
the farm.
Two concerns are sometimes expressed by growers using
urea as a N source for crop nutrition. First, when urea remains
on the soil surface, a portion of the applied N may be lost
through NH3 volatilization…thereby diminishing its fertilizer
value. When urea is first applied to soil, it generally reacts
quickly with soil enzymes (urease) to convert to NH4+ then to
NH3 (Figure 1) which may be lost as a gas. Considerable effort
has been made to understand this NH3 loss pathway, resulting
in urea coatings (such as controlled-release fertilizers), addi-
tives (such as urease inhibitors), and management practices Foliar application effectively supplies nutrients for many orchard crops.
that can substantially reduce these losses.
Reaction 1:
Seedling Damage
When urea with elevated biuret is placed adjacent to seeds,
CO(NH2)2 + H+ + 2H2O ¤ 2NH4+ + HCO3- (urea hydrolysis) toxicity may result to the geminating plant. Some of this damage
urea urease is due to the NH3 evolved from the urea during normal hydro-
lysis, but biuret may make the harsh condition more severe.
Reaction 2: The extent of biuret damage to seedlings depends on the crop,
the biuret concentration, and the fertilizer placement. Neither
NH4 ¤ NH3 + H+ (ammonia volatilization)
+
urea nor urea which contains biuret should be placed directly
Figure 1. Typical breakdown of urea by soil enzymes to form with a seed during planting. If the fertilizer is separated from
ammonium (NH4+ ) and ammonia (NH3). O
=

Urea H2N−C−NH2
A second concern related to urea fertilization is potential
biuret toxicity for growing crops. When molten urea is heated
near or above its melting point (132 ºC or 270 ºF) during manu- Cyanic Acid HN=C=O
facturing, several different compounds can be formed…includ-
ing biuret (Figure 2). Biuret can be toxic to plants at elevated O O
=

concentrations, whether applied to soil or foliage. Although Biuret H2N−C−NH−C−NH2

modern urea manufacturing methods now consistently result
in low biuret concentrations, questions still arise regarding Cyamelide Cyanuric Acid
potential hazards associated with biuret.
Better Crops/Vol. 91 (2007, No. 3)

O OH
| Triuret
=

Biuret in Soils –NH–C– C O O O

=

n
|

Many years ago, researchers found that plant growth was

=

N N
| H2N−C−NH−C−NH −C−NH2
=

reduced or completely eliminated following high applications C C

of biuret to soils, and this growth suppression often persisted
|
=
|

OH N OH
for a period of many weeks. Although the ability to degrade
biuret is widespread among soil microorganisms, microbial Figure 2. Possible reaction products formed from urea during
growth is only half as fast with biuret as a N source as it is exposure to high temperature.
with urea. The presence of biuret also decreases the rate of Abbreviations and notes for this article: N = nitrogen; NH4+ = ammonium;
nitrification in soil. NH3 = ammonia

6
the seed by a small volume of soil, toxicity problems are greatly Foliar application of urea can be extremely beneficial in
diminished. Amending the urea with a small amount of urease some circumstances for plants. Several cereal, vegetable, and
inhibitor will also reduce these adverse affects. perennial crops respond favorably to foliar applications of urea
with increased growth, yield, and quality. These benefits can
Soil Application of Biuret include boosting grain N concentrations, reducing N losses
Many studies have been done to determine the maximum through leaching and denitrification, and supplying N when
biuret concentration tolerated by crops. The specific crop sen- root uptake is limited. However, foliar-applied nutrients may
sitivity depends on many factors such as the plant species, soil be directly absorbed by plants (without the buffering effects
properties, the method and timing of fertilizer application, and of the soil), so careful attention must be paid to this practice
both the concentration and total amount of biuret applied. to do it properly.
The soil properties on which the biuret-exposed crop is Following foliar application of urea containing 0.5% biuret
grown are important in determining potential toxicity. Biuret is to potatoes, visual symptoms of yellow leaves, upward leaf roll-
not retained in soil and is easily leached. Plants are generally ing, and necrotic leaf margins have been noted. Application of
less sensitive to biuret when it is applied to soils containing urea and biuret on oranges resulted in damaged leaves, where
appreciable amounts of clay or organic matter, or of low pH. the apical portion of the leaf was the most sensitive to biuret
The specific toxic agent associated with biuret in the root (see photo). These yellow leaves never regained their nor-
zone is not known. It has been considered that cyanuric acid or mal color, although the new flush of growth appeared normal.
nitrite may accumulate in the soil following biuret application Because biuret is not rapidly metabolized by plants, repeated
and contribute to plant toxicity. Although these compounds spray applications of urea and biuret may have a cumulative
can be injurious to plants, biuret by itself is also harmful. effect, especially with perennial crops.
Many crops can tolerate large amounts of biuret applied
with urea if it is not in direct contact with the seed. A general Effects of Biuret on Plant Metabolism
guideline for safe use of urea applied to soil would permit a Plants are not able to rapidly metabolize biuret. In one
maximum 2% biuret in urea. Many crops are not adversely experiment, biuret still remained in the leaves of orange
affected until biuret concentrations greatly exceed this level, trees eight months after foliar application. Soil-applied biuret
which is greater than the 1.0% biuret commonly found in most similarly accumulates in plants for long periods of time. The
urea currently produced in North America. There are a few exact mechanism of biuret damage to plants is still uncertain,
plant species (such as citrus and pineapple) that do not tolerate but the harmful effects of high concentrations have been well
elevated levels of biuret. documented.
When present in elevated concentrations, biuret interferes
with normal protein synthesis and internal N metabolism
in the plant. Lower N concentrations are typically found in
biuret-damaged leaves than in healthy urea-treated leaves.
Biuret also disrupts normal activity of many important plant
enzymes…increasing some enzymes and decreasing oth-
ers…compared with healthy leaves.
Although biuret in urea can be damaging to plants when
present in high concentrations, modern manufacturing pro-
cesses have greatly reduced the severity of this problem.
Early urea fertilizer manufacturing facilities often produced
urea containing more than 5% biuret. Foliar application of
urea solutions containing 1% biuret is acceptable for many
common agronomic crops. However, for foliar fertilization of
some sensitive crops, urea with especially low concentrations of
biuret (less than 0.3 % biuret) may be required. If the sensitiv-
Citrus leaves damaged by biuret and urea application. ity of a specific crop to biuret in foliar sprays is not known, it
is advisable to start with low-biuret urea until the sensitivity
Foliar Application of Biuret has been determined.
During the 1950s, foliar biuret damage was first noted The modern N fertilizer industry produces urea that is
following urea sprays on sensitive avocado, citrus, and pine- remarkably safe, consistent, and effective for enhancing plant
Better Crops/Vol. 91 (2007, No. 3)

apple. Since that time, considerable effort has been devoted growth. Urea has many properties that make it the most com-
to determining the safe threshold concentration of biuret in monly used N fertilizer in the world. Biuret toxicity problems
foliar sprays of urea. As with soil application, some plant spe- are generally rare, but special attention should be made for
cies are more tolerant of biuret than others, but the allowable fertilization of especially sensitive crops. BC
concentration of biuret in urea intended for foliar sprays is For more information and a list of scientific references, visit this URL:
much lower than for soil application. Urea and biuret move www.ipni.net/biuret
readily into the leaves of many plants, making the potential Dr. Mikkelsen is IPNI Western North America Region Director, located
for adverse effects greater with foliar fertilization. at Merced, California; e-mail: rmikkelsen@ipni.net.