Phosphorus in Agriculture

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2019) | Viewed by 15795

Special Issue Editors

NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Norway
Interests: erosion; phosphorus losses; soil tillage; water quality
Dep. of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
Interests: soil phosphorus; phosphorus losses; water quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource, and there is a limited amount of rock phosphate available for the production of fertilizers. Therefore, phosphorus should be efficiently used, and we should strive to overcome the barriers for recirculation of phosphorus sources in the community, e.g., sewage sludge and other waste products.

Agricultural soils contain variable amounts of phosphorus; some soils contain excess amounts and others are lacking the phosphorus needed for food production. In agricultural production systems that include livestock, soil phosphorus content tends to be high due to manure application and often in excess of crop needs. More efficient use of phosphorus in livestock manure is a specific challenge in the efficient use of phosphorus resources.

Phosphorus is in many fresh waters the main limiting nutrient controlling development of eutrophication. Agriculture is often one of the main sources of these nutrients and the understanding of sources and pathways of phosphorus in the agricultural landscape is important for the success of mitigating these contributions. To be able to set standards for good water quality it is necessary to know the background levels of phosphorus losses from areas with agricultural land use.

For this Special Issue on “Phosphorus in Agriculture”, we welcome manuscripts (original research and reviews) that provide new insights to the problems and solutions related to limited phosphorus resources and the environmental problems caused by phosphorus

Articles may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Phosphorus resources
  • Barriers for recirculation of phosphorus in agriculture
  • Phosphorus in soil
  • Phosphorus balance
  • Phosphorus use efficiency
  • Pathways for phosphorus in agricultural areas
  • Phosphorus losses from agricultural areas
  • Background phosphorus losses
  • Mitigation measures to reduce phosphorus losses

Research Prof. Marianne Bechmann
Senior Scientist Hans Estrup Andersen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Phosphorus resources
  • Soil phosphorus
  • Phosphorus balance
  • Phosphorus use efficiency
  • Pathways for phosphorus
  • Phosphorus losses
  • Modelling
  • Mitigation measures

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 2779 KiB  
Article
Sulfur-Enriched Bone Char as Alternative P Fertilizer: Spectroscopic, Wet Chemical, and Yield Response Evaluation
by Dana Zimmer, Kerstin Panten, Marcus Frank, Armin Springer and Peter Leinweber
Agriculture 2019, 9(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010021 - 14 Jan 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5910
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 (BCplus) was tested for chemical composition and fertilization effects in a pot experiment. In BCplus [...] Read more.
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 (BCplus) was tested for chemical composition and fertilization effects in a pot experiment. In BCplus 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, BCplus and triple superphosphate (TSP) was set up. The cumulative dry matter yield of the BC treatment was similar to P0, and that of BCplus similar to TSP. The plant P uptake was in the order P0 = BC < BCplus < TSP. Consequently, the apparent nutrient recovery efficiency differed significantly between BC (<3%), BCplus (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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phosphorus in Agriculture)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3178 KiB  
Article
Implementation of Mitigation Measures to Reduce Phosphorus Losses: The Vestre Vansjø Pilot Catchment
by Marianne Bechmann, Inga Greipsland and Anne Falk Øgaard
Agriculture 2019, 9(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010015 - 08 Jan 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3376
Abstract
Diffuse phosphorus loss from agricultural fields is an important contributor to the eutrophication of waterbodies. The objective of this study was to evaluate a pilot project for the implementation of mitigation measures to reduce P losses. The pilot project is situated in southwestern [...] Read more.
Diffuse phosphorus loss from agricultural fields is an important contributor to the eutrophication of waterbodies. The objective of this study was to evaluate a pilot project for the implementation of mitigation measures to reduce P losses. The pilot project is situated in southwestern Norway and, covers a 14-year period (2004–2018). It included data on the implementation of mitigation measures and water quality monitoring for six small catchments. The mitigation measures consisted of no tillage in autumn, reduced P fertilizer application, grassed buffer zones, and sedimentation ponds. Extra efforts were made to reduce diffuse P losses during the period from 2008 to 2010. The project comprised economic incentives, an information campaign, and farm visits. Data from 2004 and 2010 showed that the use of P fertilizer during this period decreased by 80% and the area of no-till in autumn increased in all six catchments and covered 100% of the area in three of the six catchments in 2010. However, with decreased economic incentives after 2010, the degree to which the mitigation measures were implemented was reversed; P-fertilization increased, and no-till in autumn decreased. No significant effects of mitigation measures on total P and suspended sediment concentrations were detected. We conclude that economic incentives are necessary for the comprehensive implementation of mitigation measures and but that it is not always possible to show the effect on water quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phosphorus in Agriculture)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 851 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Phosphorus and other Nutrients during Pyrolysis of Chicken Manure
by Britta Bergfeldt, Marco Tomasi Morgano, Hans Leibold, Frank Richter and Dieter Stapf
Agriculture 2018, 8(12), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8120187 - 30 Nov 2018
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5593
Abstract
Feedstock recycling of secondary raw materials is the backbone of the Circular Economy (CE). The efficient recovery of resources, energy, along with achieving minimal environmental impact is mandatory for the successful realization of CE. Chicken manure is an interesting waste stream due to [...] Read more.
Feedstock recycling of secondary raw materials is the backbone of the Circular Economy (CE). The efficient recovery of resources, energy, along with achieving minimal environmental impact is mandatory for the successful realization of CE. Chicken manure is an interesting waste stream due to its content of nutrients, in particular of phosphorus, which makes it a suitable feedstock for fertilizer applications. However, the contamination caused by antibiotics, organic pollutants, and sanitary aspects demand the manures treatment before further recycling. Thermochemical treatment based on intermediate pyrolysis targets decentral application to produce carbonized solids for fertilizer application. This work evaluated pyrolysis char from the pyrolysis of chicken manure in comparison to the original feedstock using state-of-the-art thermal treatment, i.e., combustion in grate furnaces. The samples were evaluated in terms of chemical and mineralogical composition by applying several analytical techniques. Bio-availability of the main nutrients (NPK) was assessed by adopting standard methods. Additionally, the effect on toxicity was discussed by means of heavy metals analysis, as well as of pot tests. Results showed, that pyrolysis had a far more positive effect on nutrient availability compared to combustion, and it provided a suitable method for the thermal treatment of contaminated feedstocks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phosphorus in Agriculture)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop