7 Best Nitrogen Fertilizers for Ukrainian Winter Wheat (2026)

How we tested#

We compared 7 nitrogen fertilizers in April 2026 across five criteria: cost per 1 kg N, application uniformity (CV), nitrogen losses, herbicide tank-mix compatibility, and storage. Prices come from EXW price lists from OSTCHEM, Group DF, Yara Ukraine, and EuroChem Agro Ukraine. Agronomic parameters come from NUBiP and Institute of Grain Crops NAAS field trials in the Forest-Steppe and Steppe, 2025 season. Focus: winter wheat.

1. UAN-32 — best overall#

Urea-ammonium-nitrate solution — 32% nitrogen in three forms (ammonium 8%, nitrate 8%, amide 16%) — is the all-purpose choice for farms above 500 ha with their own sprayer. Price in April 2026 is about 17,800 UAH/t EXW, or 55.6 UAH/kg N. The headline advantage is in-crop tank-mixing with herbicides (2,4-D, MCPA), which saves 1–2 field passes per season; UAN goes with glyphosate only in pre-sowing burndown, never over the standing crop. Application uniformity runs at a CV of 3–5% on a 24 m boom — 3× better than granular fertilizers from a spinner spreader. The downside: you need a boom sprayer with coarse-droplet AI 04–05 nozzles and an HDPE tank farm (30–50 m³ tanks, roughly 120,000–200,000 UAH installed). Optimal when annual volume exceeds 200 tonnes physical mass, so depreciation on the tanks and pumps spreads across enough hectares. Main Ukrainian suppliers: OSTCHEM, Group DF, Yara Ukraine; imports from Poland (Azoty Puławy) add 2–3% for logistics.

2. Urea — cheapest option#

Urea (CO(NH₂)₂) — 46% nitrogen in amide form, the cheapest nitrogen fertilizer per 1 kg of N in Ukraine. Price in April 2026 is about 22,000 UAH/t EXW, or 47.8 UAH/kg N (14% cheaper than ammonium nitrate, 16% cheaper than UAN-32). It must be incorporated into the soil within 4 hours of application, otherwise volatilization losses reach 15–25% — especially on carbonate Steppe soils with pH above 7.2. With an NBPT urease inhibitor (Agrotain, Limus) losses drop to 3–5%; the extra 180–240 UAH/t pays back 5-fold in the first season. Best for farms with soil cultivators for incorporation and cool spring conditions (below 12 °C slows volatilization). Paired with NBPT, urea is the best choice on pure cost grounds. Main Ukrainian suppliers: OSTCHEM, Group DF, Acron (imports from Kazakhstan).

3. Ammonium nitrate — for small farms#

Ammonium nitrate N33 is a granular fertilizer with 33–34.4% nitrogen split 50/50 between ammonium and nitrate. Price in April 2026 is about 19,400 UAH/t EXW, or 56.4 UAH/kg N. Its strength is the instant availability of the nitrate fraction in cool spring weather (5–10 °C) when amide-based urea has not yet converted due to low urease activity. Ideal for farms up to 300 ha without a wide-boom sprayer: broadcast with an Amazone ZA-M or Bogballe spinner spreader, no tank or nozzles needed. Spread uniformity runs at a CV of 8–12% on a 24 m throw — acceptable for wheat. Downside: storage compliance — classified as an explosive precursor since 2022, requiring an SBU permit and video surveillance (+600–900 UAH/t). Suppliers: OSTCHEM (Cherkasy Azot and Rivne Azot plants after the loss of Sievierodonetsk Azot), Group DF.

4. CAN N27 — for cool springs#

Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) N27 is a hybrid of ammonium nitrate with chalk or dolomitic limestone — 27% nitrogen plus 12% CaO and 5% MgO. Price in April 2026 is about 16,700 UAH/t EXW, or 62.0 UAH/kg N. 10% more expensive than straight ammonium nitrate per kg of pure N, but the added calcium neutralizes acidic Polissia and Volyn soils. Best for fields with pH below 5.8, where wheat response to standard ammonium nitrate is capped by soil acidity. Storage compliance is simpler than ammonium nitrate (not classified as an explosive precursor) — no SBU permit or video surveillance required. Main Ukrainian supply comes from Poland (Anwil, Grupa Azoty Puławy) and Germany (Yara YaraBela Extran). Still a small market — 3–4% of the Ukrainian nitrogen segment — but growing 15% year-on-year since 2024 as wheat acreage shifts onto acidic Polissia soils.

5. Ammonium sulfate — for sulfur-deficient soils#

Ammonium sulfate ((NH₄)₂SO₄) — 21% nitrogen plus 24% sulfur in sulfate form. Price in April 2026 is about 14,350 UAH/t EXW, or 68.3 UAH/kg N. 20% more expensive than ammonium nitrate on a pure nitrogen basis, but the sulfur pays back on Polissia and Northern Forest-Steppe fields where sulfur is deficient. Sulfur concentration in Ukrainian soils has dropped 40% over the past decade as industrial emissions fell — sulfur is now a yield-limiting factor on many fields. Recommended rate: 80–120 kg/ha physical mass as part of spring top-dressing, paired with urea or ammonium nitrate. Also mildly acidifies carbonate soils by 0.1–0.2 pH units per season, useful on rapeseed and wheat ground. Suppliers: Yara (YaraBela Sulfan 24S), EuroChem (EuroSul), OSTCHEM (imported coke-oven by-product).

6. Urea-sulfate — N and S in one#

Urea ammonium sulfate (UAS) is a stabilized urea + ammonium sulfate blend with 40% N and 6% S. Price in April 2026 is about 23,280 UAH/t EXW, or 58.2 UAH/kg N. Slightly more expensive than straight urea, but it saves one field pass compared to applying urea and ammonium sulfate separately — roughly 400 UAH/ha per spreader pass. Main market: large Forest-Steppe and Polissia farms (Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr) that need a balanced N+S profile without extra logistics. Stores like regular urea — no special warehouse or permits. Dense 2–4 mm granules give a spreader CV of 7–10% on a 28 m throw — better than straight ammonium nitrate. Suppliers: Yara International (YaraBela Sulphan), EuroChem (EuroSul), imports from Poland (Azoty Kędzierzyn).

7. Slow-release nitrogen — single-pass season#

Polymer-coated urea (polyomer slow-release) — 45% nitrogen with controlled release over 60–120 days, depending on coating thickness. Price in April 2026 is about 41,600 UAH/t EXW, or 92.5 UAH/kg N — nearly 2× the cost of regular urea. The headline advantage: a single autumn or early-spring application replaces two separate passes, saving 760–1,040 UAH/ha on logistics and fuel. Pays back on farms with tight labor or limited machinery in peak season, and on irrigated Kherson and Mykolaiv ground where leaching losses of conventional N reach 20–30%. Nutrien ESN (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen) and ICL Nitrophoska lead the global market. Still a niche in Ukraine — under 1% of the nitrogen market — but growing 30% year-on-year since 2024. Suppliers: ICL Specialty Fertilizers, Yara, Nutrien via Agroscope Company.

How to choose#

Farm above 1,000 ha with a sprayer — UAN-32 as the base plus ammonium sulfate on sulfur-deficient fields. Farm 300–1,000 ha without a sprayer — urea with NBPT as the base and CAN on cool-soil fields. Farm under 300 ha — ammonium nitrate or CAN, simpler to handle without the SBU explosive-precursor compliance. Polissia soils with pH below 5.8 — CAN is mandatory as part of the strategy; on carbonate Southern Steppe soils (Kherson, Odesa), ammonium sulfate for acidification. Farms with tight labor in peak season — slow-release nitrogen despite the higher price, particularly on irrigation. Cool 2026 spring in the Forest-Steppe — prioritize nitrate forms (ammonium nitrate, CAN) in the first top-dressing at BBCH 21–29 tillering, when urease activity is still limited by sub-10 °C soil temperatures.