A Poultry Litter-Derived Organomineral Phosphate Fertilizer Has Higher Agronomic Effectiveness Than Conventional Phosphate Fertilizer Applied to Field-Grown Maize and Soybean

Inadequate disposal of poultry litter (PL) may promote eutrophication of water bodies due to its high nutrient content, including phosphorus (P). Thus, recycling P from PL to produce organomineral fertilizer (OMF), reduces the dependence on finite mineral P reserves, and also reduces P losses from soil. In this context, a field experiment was carried out to assess the agronomic effectiveness of a granular PL-derived OMF applied to maize and soybean in a highly weathered tropical soil. OMF was compared to single superphosphate (SSP) at five P rates between 0 and 70 kg ha(-1). The shoot dry weight (SDW) and grain yields of soybean and maize were affected by P rates; however, no difference between OMF and SSP was found. A similar trend was observed for soil P and P uptake. The leaf P content and soil pH were not affected by either P sources or P rates. Although there was no difference between OMF and SSP on the crop yields, OMF had the highest relative agronomic effectiveness based on the SDW. These results show that the production of granular OMF from PL is a viable alternative to conventional P fertilizers and reduces the dependence of mineral P reserves.

Automated summary

Improper disposal of poultry litter can lead to water eutrophication due to its high phosphorus content. Recycling phosphorus from poultry litter to produce organomineral fertilizer reduces dependence on finite mineral phosphorus reserves and minimizes phosphorus losses from soil. Field experiments showed that applying granular poultry litter-derived organomineral fertilizer had similar effects on maize and soybean as single superphosphate, but demonstrated higher relative agronomic effectiveness based on shoot dry weight.