Abstract
The continued supply of phosphate fertilizers that underpin global food production is an imminent crisis. The rock phosphate deposits on which the world depends are not only finite, but some are contaminated, and many are located in geopolitically unstable areas, meaning that fundamental changes will have to take place in order to maintain food production for a growing global population. No single solution exists, but a combination of approaches to phosphorus management is required not only to extend the lifespan of the remaining non-renewable rock phosphate reserves, but to result in a more efficient, sustainable phosphorus cycle. Solutions include improving the efficiency of fertilizer applications to agricultural land, alongside a better understanding of phosphorus cycling in soil-plant systems, and the interactions between soil physics, chemistry and biology, coupled with plant traits. Opportunities exist for the development of plants that can access different forms of soil phosphorus (e.g., organic phosphorus) and that use internal phosphorus more efficiently. The development of different sources of phosphorus fertilizers are inevitably required given the finite nature of the rock phosphate supplies. Clear opportunities exist, and it is now important that a concerted effort to make advances in phosphorus use efficiency is prioritized.
Highlights
The commercial inorganic phosphorus fertilizer industry began in 1842 when Sir John Bennett Lawes of Rothamsted Research, UK, patented the first commercial phosphate fertilizer, or “chemical manure”
While this latter scenario is unlikely, it does highlight that significant changes in demand are occurring and that imminent, fundamental changes in the global phosphorus trade, use and recycling efforts will be necessary in order to secure phosphorus availability
Future phosphorus fertilizer availability is one of the most critical issues related to global food security and the sustainable intensification of agriculture that is required to achieve it
Summary
The commercial inorganic phosphorus fertilizer industry began in 1842 when Sir John Bennett Lawes of Rothamsted Research, UK, patented the first commercial phosphate fertilizer, or “chemical manure”. This means it is difficult to accurately determine the quantity of phosphate fertilizers required for optimal crop growth in different types of soils. One of the most important factors in ensuring phosphorus fertilizer use efficiency is in the calculation of the amount required to be added to soils for optimum plant growth.
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