The aim of this study was to prepare a double-coated, slow-release, and water-retention urea fertilizer (DSWU) to reduce environment pollution derived from excessive nitrogen fertilizer use. Ethylcellulose (EC) and crosslinked poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (P(AA-co-AM)) were used as inner and outer coating materials, respectively. The structural and chemical characteristics of the product, as well as its efficiency in slowing the nitrogen release and water evaporation in soil were examined. The nitrogen content of the product was 21.1% and its water absorbency was 70 times its own weight in tap water. Additionally, the biodegradation of EC coating in soil was assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The results showed that the glass transition temperature (T-g) of EC coating decreased with the time prolonged, which indicated the biodegradability of EC coating in soil. These studies showed that the product with good slow-release and water-retention properties, being environmentally friendly, would find good application in agriculture and horticulture. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.