Sulfur-Enriched Bone Char as Alternative P Fertilizer: Spectroscopic, Wet Chemical, and Yield Response Evaluation

Dana Zimmer, Kerstin Panten, Marcus Frank, Armin Springer and Peter Leinweber
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Dana Zimmer: Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
Kerstin Panten: Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Crop and Soil Science, Bundesallee 69, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
Marcus Frank: Medical Biology and Electron Microscopic Centre, University Medicine Rostock, Strempelstraße 14, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Armin Springer: Medical Biology and Electron Microscopic Centre, University Medicine Rostock, Strempelstraße 14, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Peter Leinweber: Soil Science, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, D-18051 Rostock, Germany

Agriculture, 2019, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Phosphorus- (P) rich bone char (BC) could be an alternative P fertilizer in sustainable agriculture; however, it has a low P solubility. Therefore, sulfur-enriched BC (BC plus ) was tested for chemical composition and fertilization effects in a pot experiment. In BC plus sulfur, concentrations increased from <0.1% to 27% and pH decreased from 8.6 to 5.0. These modifications did not change P solubility in water, neutral ammonium citrate, and citric acid. A pot experiment with annual rye grass ( Lolium multiflorum L.) and treatments without P (P0), BC, BC plus and triple superphosphate (TSP) was set up. The cumulative dry matter yield of the BC treatment was similar to P0, and that of BC plus similar to TSP. The plant P uptake was in the order P0 = BC < BC plus < TSP. Consequently, the apparent nutrient recovery efficiency differed significantly between BC (<3%), BC plus (10% to 15%), and TSP (>18%). The tested equilibrium extractions, regularly used to classify mineral P-fertilizers, failed to predict differences in plant yield and P uptake. Therefore, non-equilibrium extraction methods should be tested in combination with pot experiments. Additionally, particle-plant root scale analyses and long-term experiments are necessary to gain insights into fertilizer-plant interactions.

Keywords: pot experiment; phosphorus; biochar; SEM-EDX; fertilizer value (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: 2019
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