Foliar Fertilizer Based on Calcined Bones, Boron and Molybdenum—A Study on the Development and Potential Effects on Maize Grain Production

Maciej Balawejder, Natalia Matłok, Józef Gorzelany, Marcin Pieniążek, Piotr Antos, Grzegorz Witek and Małgorzata Szostek
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Maciej Balawejder: Department of Chemistry and Food Toxicology, University of Rzeszow, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Natalia Matłok: Department of Food and Agriculture Production Engineering, University of Rzeszow, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Józef Gorzelany: Department of Food and Agriculture Production Engineering, University of Rzeszow, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Marcin Pieniążek: Department of Soil Sciences, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, University of Rzeszow, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland
Piotr Antos: Department of Computer Engineering in Management, Rzeszow University of Technology, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Grzegorz Witek: Dr Green Sp. Z.o.o., 32-500 Chrzanów, Poland
Małgorzata Szostek: Department of Soil Sciences, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, University of Rzeszow, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Phosphorus is a biogenic element with a high importance within the food chain. Regrettably, there are limited amounts of phosphorus within minerals naturally occurring in the environment. Its scarcity leads to a necessity of closed loop economy, where this element could be obtained by the processing of various waste materials. Modern agriculture needs to provide sufficient amounts of phosphorus to plant organisms encountering problems with the bioavailability of nutrition. In this research, a post-processed animal waste material (calcined bone) was utilized to reclaim phosphorus and reintroduce it into the environment in a form of foliar fertilizer. The calcined bones were subjected to chemical transformation with nitric acid solution. The solubilization of bones was followed by laboratory-scale pot experiments, in which the fertilizer was used for the cultivation of maize plants. In the field experiments, the fertilizer was additionally fortified with boron and molybdenum elements. It was observed that the utilization of the fertilizer had a positive impact on maize plants, i.e., improvement in the biomass production of aboveground and underground parts of the plants. The amount of chlorophyll increased in comparison to control plants. Maize grain production was increased by approximately 600 kg ha −1 ).

Keywords: closed loop economy; calcined bones; phosphorus; foliar fertilizer; maize (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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