TY - JOUR

T1 - Struvite: a slow-release fertiliser for sustainable phosphorus management?

AU - Withers, P.J.

AU - Talboys, P.J.

AU - Heppell, J.

AU - Roose, T.

AU - Healey, J.R.

AU - Jones, D.L.

N1 - This paper was produced as part of the Sustainable Arable LINK Project LK09136 funded by Defra, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Scottish Government, Home-Grown Cereals Authority, Potato Council, Agrivert, Origin Fertilisers, Omex Agriculture, Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, Speciality Fertiliser Products, Severn Trent Water and Virotec Europe. This work was also supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre grant (EP/G03690X/1).

PY - 2016/4/1

Y1 - 2016/4/1

N2 - Background and aimRecycled sources of phosphorus (P), such as struvite extracted from wastewater, have potential to substitute for more soluble manufactured fertilisers and help reduce the long-term threat to food security from dwindling finite reserves of phosphate rock (PR). This study aimed to determine whether struvite could be a component of a sustainable P fertiliser management strategy for arable crops.MethodsA combination of laboratory experiments, pot trials and mathematical modelling of the root system examined the P release properties of commercial fertiliser-grade struvite and patterns of P uptake from a low-P sandy soil by two different crop types, in comparison to more soluble inorganic P fertilisers (di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and triple super phosphate (TSP)).ResultsStruvite had greatly enhanced solubility in the presence of organic acid anions; buckwheat, which exudes a high level of organic acids, was more effective at mobilising struvite P than the low level exuder, spring wheat. Struvite granules placed with the seed did not provide the same rate of P supply as placed DAP granules for early growth of spring wheat, but gave equivalent rates of P uptake, yield and apparent fertiliser recovery at harvest, even though only 26 % of struvite granules completely dissolved. Fertiliser mixes containing struvite and DAP applied to spring wheat have potential to provide both optimal early and late season P uptake and improve overall P use efficiency.ConclusionsWe conclude that the potential resource savings and potential efficiency benefits of utilising a recycled slow release fertiliser like struvite offers a more sustainable alternative to only using conventional, high solubility, PR-based fertilisers.

AB - Background and aimRecycled sources of phosphorus (P), such as struvite extracted from wastewater, have potential to substitute for more soluble manufactured fertilisers and help reduce the long-term threat to food security from dwindling finite reserves of phosphate rock (PR). This study aimed to determine whether struvite could be a component of a sustainable P fertiliser management strategy for arable crops.MethodsA combination of laboratory experiments, pot trials and mathematical modelling of the root system examined the P release properties of commercial fertiliser-grade struvite and patterns of P uptake from a low-P sandy soil by two different crop types, in comparison to more soluble inorganic P fertilisers (di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and triple super phosphate (TSP)).ResultsStruvite had greatly enhanced solubility in the presence of organic acid anions; buckwheat, which exudes a high level of organic acids, was more effective at mobilising struvite P than the low level exuder, spring wheat. Struvite granules placed with the seed did not provide the same rate of P supply as placed DAP granules for early growth of spring wheat, but gave equivalent rates of P uptake, yield and apparent fertiliser recovery at harvest, even though only 26 % of struvite granules completely dissolved. Fertiliser mixes containing struvite and DAP applied to spring wheat have potential to provide both optimal early and late season P uptake and improve overall P use efficiency.ConclusionsWe conclude that the potential resource savings and potential efficiency benefits of utilising a recycled slow release fertiliser like struvite offers a more sustainable alternative to only using conventional, high solubility, PR-based fertilisers.

U2 - 10.1007/s11104-015-2747-3

DO - 10.1007/s11104-015-2747-3

M3 - Article

VL - 401

SP - 109

EP - 123

JO - Plant and Soil

JF - Plant and Soil

SN - 0032-079X

IS - 1

ER -