Phosphorus Release from Rock Phosphate as Influenced by Organic Acid Loaded Nanoclay Polymer Composites in an Alfisol

Manipulating geological phosphorus resources for improved production and environmental outcomes during plant establishment

Phosphorus (P) fertilisers are under scrutiny due to resource constraints and environmental impacts. Simple rock phosphate (RP) modifications with acids and co-applied with microbial inoculum could offer sustainable alternative P fertiliser products. We evaluated the effects of acid-treated rock phosphate (RP) in combination with fungal inoculum on plant establishment, environmental impacts (nutrient leaching) and soil quality in a 5-month pot trial. The treatments were evaluated in a clayey Vertisol and a silty Acrisol using cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) as a model plant. The RP treatments - apart from the unmodified and HCl products - were effective in promoting plant establishment with two of the microbial formulations superior to conventional P fertilisers by an average factor of 2 in both soil types (p < 0.05). All RP products restricted P leaching compared with conventional P fertilisers (p < 0.05), by an average factor of 5 for diammonium phosphate (DAP) in both soil types and 3 for the triple superphosphate TSP (only in Acrisol). Nitrate leaching from all treatments was high although much lower from the RP treatments compared with the conventional fertilisers towards the end of the establishment trial, by an average factor of 1.5 (p < 0.05). Ranking analysis revealed that some RP treatments showed evidence for improved ongoing soil quality, including decreased P leaching and soil acidification risks. Microbial analysis showed complex interactions between treatment and soil type. Nonetheless, inoculum persistence at the end of the plant establishment phase was observed for all pots analysed. Our results demonstrate that relatively simple modifications to RP could pave the way for developing sustainable P fertilisers.

Influence of recurrent rainfall and oxalic acid on phosphorus releasing from rocks phosphate in the Chaohu watershed, China

In order to understand the spatial distribution characteristics, loss risk and leaching behaviors of phosphorous from exposed rocks in typical small-area of Chaohu watershed, phosphorus-rich rock was selected for conducting a series of column leaching experiments to investigate the phosphorus leaching. By simulating the intermittent cycle of acid rainfall, effects of oxalic acid on the weathering of phosphate rocks were studied. Total phosphorus contents, pH and phosphate leaching capacity from phosphorus rocks were tested in the presence of oxalic acid at different dry-wet intervals. The results indicated that the cumulative release of phosphorus increased first and then decreased with the duration of dry-wet intervals increasing. Four typical kinetic equations can describe phosphorus release from phosphate rocks with the action of oxalic acid. The best fitting models were the weight function and parabolic equation, with a mean correlation coefficient R² of 0.9727 and 0.9941, respectively, which reached significance level. Total phosphorus (TP) leaching distribution in each column showed a tendency of gradually decreasing from top to bottom except for time interval of 5 d and 7 d. Occluded-bound P (Oc-P) is the dominant form in rocks. The change point value of rocks phosphorus is 4.11  mg kg^-1 after intermittent leaching, and the phosphorus loss risk is relatively large in some rocks formations.