{
  "abstract": "Low nitrogen (N) use efficiency and substantial gaseous N losses constrain the effectiveness of N fertilization in low-organic-matter soils, particularly under semi-arid conditions. A field experiment was conducted during summer 2021 at the research farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan, to determine whether a urease inhibitor (UI) and gibberellic acid (GA₃), applied individually or in combination, could reduce gaseous N losses and improve N recovery and maize performance. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with five treatments and four replications: control, urea (200 kg N ha⁻ ¹ ), urea + GA₃ (60 g ha⁻ ¹ ), urea + UI, and urea + UI + GA₃. The application of UI-coated urea significantly reduced total NH₃ losses by 74% and N₂O emissions by 57% compared with urea alone. Compared with sole urea application, UI-treated urea substantially reduced cumulative NH₃ loss and N₂O emissions while increasing ¹⁵ N recovery, grain yield, and total N uptake. The combined urea + UI + GA₃ treatment produced the greatest agronomic response, increasing ¹⁵ N recovery by 50%, grain yield by 32%, and total N uptake by 35% relative to sole urea. These results indicate that UI primarily reduced gaseous N losses, whereas the addition of GA₃ further improved crop physiological performance and N utilization. GA₃ also improved chlorophyll content, gas exchange characteristics, antioxidant defense, and membrane stability, indicating enhanced physiological performance and stress tolerance. These findings demonstrate that integrating UI with GA₃ can simultaneously improve fertilizer-N retention and crop performance under semi-arid, low-organic-matter soil conditions. This approach may provide a practical strategy for improving N-use efficiency while reducing the environmental footprint of maize production.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Khadim Dawar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ishaq Ahmad Mian"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shadman Khan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mehreen Ali"
    },
    {
      "name": "Laiba Farid"
    },
    {
      "name": "Manahil Noor"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bakhtawar Zeb"
    },
    {
      "name": "Inam Irshad"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dalal Nasser Binjawhar"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c1g58re2g1ae.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41598-026-72557-0",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "2c1g58re2g1ae",
  "issns": [
    "2045-2322"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72557-0",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1102|Crop Yield and Soil Fertility"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220857763",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72557-0_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c1g58re2g1ae.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41598-026-72557-0",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72557-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1102|Crop Yield and Soil Fertility",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Urease Inhibitor and gibberellic acid reduce nitrogen losses and improve maize performance in a semi-arid soil",
  "title_text": "Urease Inhibitor and gibberellic acid reduce nitrogen losses and improve maize performance in a semi-arid soil",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2c1g58re2g1ae",
  "venue": "Scientific Reports",
  "versions": []
}