By Jamie Martin
A new study has provided valuable insights into how recycled phosphorus fertilizers perform in soil, supporting efforts to make farming more sustainable. Phosphorus plays a key role in plant growth, but many soils lack enough of this important nutrient.
To maintain crop yields, farmers often use fertilizers made from mined phosphorus. However, this resource is limited, leading researchers to explore recycled alternatives. These fertilizers are made from waste materials such as sewage sludge, its ash, and animal byproducts like meat and bone meals.
The international research team studied how phosphorus from these recycled sources behaves in soil over time. Using advanced scientific methods, they identified how phosphorus changes in form and how it becomes available to plants.
"Phosphorus is one of the most difficult elements in the soil to analyze in a conventional lab," said Aimée Schryer, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen. "It's hard to make reliable conclusions or recommendations that you can use in the field based on those results; it's more of a guess."
Results showed that recycled phosphorus sources act differently from conventional fertilizers. In many cases, they became more available to plants over time rather than less. Some recycled materials also moved deeper into the soil, allowing plant roots to reach nutrients more easily.
Another key finding was the strong influence of soil type. Certain soil conditions improved the performance of recycled fertilizers, while others reduced their effectiveness. This shows that fertilizer management must be adapted to local soil conditions.
The study confirms that there is no single solution for all farming systems. Farmers need to consider both the type of fertilizer and the soil they are working with. Proper timing of application is also important to ensure nutrients are available when crops need them.
Photo Credit: pexels-jan-kroon 1
Categories: National