A Poultry Litter-Derived Organomineral Phosphate Fertilizer Has Higher Agronomic Effectiveness Than Conventional Phosphate Fertilizer Applied to Field-Grown Maize and Soybean

Joaquim José Frazão,José Lavres,João Victor Schiavon Ribeiro,Vitor Mateus Pierobon,Vinicius De Melo Benites

doi:10.3390/su132111635

Abstract

Inadequate disposal of poultry litter (PL) may promote eutrophication of water bodies due to its high nutrient content, including phosphorus (P). Thus, recycling P from PL to produce organomineral fertilizer (OMF), reduces the dependence on finite mineral P reserves, and also reduces P losses from soil. In this context, a field experiment was carried out to assess the agronomic effectiveness of a granular PL-derived OMF applied to maize and soybean in a highly weathered tropical soil. OMF was compared to single superphosphate (SSP) at five P rates between 0 and 70 kg ha−1. The shoot dry weight (SDW) and grain yields of soybean and maize were affected by P rates; however, no difference between OMF and SSP was found. A similar trend was observed for soil P and P uptake. The leaf P content and soil pH were not affected by either P sources or P rates. Although there was no difference between OMF and SSP on the crop yields, OMF had the highest relative agronomic effectiveness based on the SDW. These results show that the production of granular OMF from PL is a viable alternative to conventional P fertilizers and reduces the dependence of mineral P reserves.

Highlights

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Abstract: Inadequate disposal of poultry litter (PL) may promote eutrophication of water bodies due to its high nutrient content, including phosphorus (P)
As PL does not contain a balanced amount of nutrients, complementary fertilizations are needed to supply the nutrient demand for crops, resulting in a higher cost associated with transportation and application compared to granular organomineral fertilizer (OMF)
Shoot dry weight (SDW) and grain yields of field-grown soybean and maize increased significantly with increasing P rates; no difference between OMF and SSP was observed at all P rates (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

“Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, 11 Pádua Dias Avenue, Abstract: Inadequate disposal of poultry litter (PL) may promote eutrophication of water bodies due to its high nutrient content, including phosphorus (P). There was no difference between OMF and SSP on the crop yields, OMF had the highest relative agronomic effectiveness based on the SDW These results show that the production of granular OMF from PL is a viable alternative to conventional P fertilizers and reduces the dependence of mineral P reserves. The world poultry meat production is approximately 100.6 million tonnes [1], which annually generates 76.5 million tonnes of poultry litter (PL) This organic manure has been used as source of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for crops but when inadequately disposed on the soil surface, it is often reported to cause serious environmental problems such as eutrophication of water bodies [2,3]. The use of OMFs improves soil organic matter content, soil microbial biomass, cation exchange capacity, complexation of metals, and improved nutrient release rates [4,5,6]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion