A Fertilisation Strategy Combining Mineral Fertiliser and Biosolid Improves Long-Term Yield and Carbon Storage in a Calcareous Soil

Armelle Zaragüeta (), Alberto Enrique (), Xavier Portell, Rodrigo Antón, Iñigo Virto and Luis Orcaray
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Armelle Zaragüeta: Departamento Ciencias, Instituto de Innovación y Sostenibilidad en la Cadena Agroalimentaria (IS-FOOD), Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Alberto Enrique: Departamento Ciencias, Instituto de Innovación y Sostenibilidad en la Cadena Agroalimentaria (IS-FOOD), Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Xavier Portell: Departamento Ciencias, Instituto de Innovación y Sostenibilidad en la Cadena Agroalimentaria (IS-FOOD), Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Rodrigo Antón: Departamento Ciencias, Instituto de Innovación y Sostenibilidad en la Cadena Agroalimentaria (IS-FOOD), Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Iñigo Virto: Departamento Ciencias, Instituto de Innovación y Sostenibilidad en la Cadena Agroalimentaria (IS-FOOD), Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
Luis Orcaray: Área de Innovación, Sección de Sistemas Sostenibles, Instituto Navarro de Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias, 31610 Villava, Spain

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: At a strategic moment for agricultural soils, which are expected to contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon storage while safely feeding a growing world population, the fertiliser strategies used will be key. In a calcareous soil with extensive rainfed agricultural use and straw removal, different fertiliser strategies were evaluated with the aim of determining their effects on crop yield, nitrogen agronomic efficiency, and the storage of organic carbon and total nitrogen in the soil. Different doses of mineral fertiliser, expressed as kg of mineral nitrogen ha −1 year −1 (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 nitrogen fertilising units (NFUs)), were applied to plots with and without biosolid amendment. The biosolid, applied at a rate of 40 Mg ha −1 every 3 years for 18 years, complied with national and European regulations to be applied on agricultural soil. The use of combined fertilisation reduced the amount of mineral fertiliser applied between 33 and 67% and the total fertiliser units between 7 and 40%, while maintaining similar yields to the reference mineral fertilisation (180 NFUs). These results could be related to a higher nitrogen agronomic efficiency in the combined fertilisation treatments that do not exceed the total NFUs required by the crop. Combined fertilisation was also an effective fertiliser technique to store total nitrogen and organic carbon in the soil. However, compared to the reference mineral fertilisation (180 NFUs), no significant changes in the soil organic carbon were observed, probably due to the crop management method in which the straw is removed and to higher gas emissions. Our results support the need to assess the efficacy of each agricultural technique at local scales in order not to overestimate or underestimate the potential of each agricultural technique to store soil organic carbon.

Keywords: long term; calcareous soil; biosolid; mineral fertiliser; fertiliser strategy; extensive crops; yields; nitrogen agronomic efficiency; soil organic carbon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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