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Oyetunji O, Bolan N, Hancock G. A comprehensive review on enhancing nutrient use efficiency and productivity of broadacre (arable) crops with the combined utilization of compost and fertilizers. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 317:115395. [PMID: 35751241 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Broadacre (arable) crops generally require a relatively higher nutrient input toward yield targets. The efficient use of nutrients in arable farmlands is very vital to this endeavor. It minimizes fertilizer input and adverse soil and environmental implications that may arise from the incremental use of fertilizers. It is understood that enhancing the natural capacity of the soil (i.e., the soil's physical, chemical, and biological quality), may effectively improve soil nutrient dynamics, availability, and efficient use by crops. The adoption of integrated nutrient management (INM) approaches such as the organic amendment of the soil in addition to fertilizer use has shown positive impacts on maintaining and recovering soil quality, hence lowering excessive fertilizer use in farmlands. Therefore, this review contextualized the effect of compost and fertilizer on nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and productivity of broadacre crops. The use of compost as an organic soil amendment material has shown some inherently unique advantages and beneficial impacts on soil health and fertility such as improved soil structure, nutrient retention, mobilization, and bioavailability. Several studies have explored these comparative advantages by either blending compost with chemical fertilizer before soil application or a co-application and have noted the observed amelioration of unfavorable soil conditions such as low porosity, high bulk density, low organic matter (OM), unfavorable pH, and cation exchange capacity (CEC), low biological activities with different doses of compost. Consequently, the co-utilization of composts and chemical fertilizers may become viable substitutes for chemical fertilizers in maintaining soil fertility, improving NUE, and crop yield in farmlands. The review further described the comparative environmental and economic implications of adopting the combined utilization of compost and fertilizers in farmlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwadunsin Oyetunji
- Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia; CRC for High Performance Soils, Callaghan, Australia.
| | - Nanthi Bolan
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia
| | - Greg Hancock
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
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Haider G, Joseph S, Steffens D, Müller C, Taherymoosavi S, Mitchell D, Kammann CI. Mineral nitrogen captured in field-aged biochar is plant-available. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13816. [PMID: 32796884 PMCID: PMC7427999 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70586-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Biochar may serve as a tool to sustainably mitigate climate change via carbon sequestration and by improving soil fertility. Biochar has shown to retain nitrate in its pores, which increases with an organic coating of the inner surfaces and residence time in soil ("aging"). Here we investigated the plant accessibility of the captured nitrate in field-aged biochar, as a pre-requisite for developing carbon-based N fertilization techniques with environmental benefits. Based on previous results, we hypothesized that part of the biochar-captured nitrate would remain unavailable for plants. A two-factorial greenhouse experiment was designed, where the N was applied either as Ca(NO3)2 or as N captured in field-aged biochar at five increasing N doses to quinoa and perennial ryegrass in pots. Interestingly, the biochar-captured N was as plant available as the mineral nitrate, except for the highest dosage. Refuting our hypothesis, no significant amounts of N were extractable at the end of the study from the biochar-soil mixtures with repeated-extraction protocols. Thus, N captured by biochar may improve the N use efficiency in agriculture. Further research should evaluate the role of biochar particle size, root morphology, mycorrhization, and soil moisture (variations) for nitrate retrieval from biochar particles by plants because the captured biochar N was less available in the field as under present controlled conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghulam Haider
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Atta-Ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, (NUST) Campus, H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Stephen Joseph
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of NSW, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Discipline of Chemistry, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - Diedrich Steffens
- Department of Plant Nutrition, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Institute of Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- School of Biology and Environmental Science and Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Sarasadat Taherymoosavi
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of NSW, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - David Mitchell
- Electron Microscopy Centre, AIIM Building, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW, 2517, Australia
| | - Claudia I Kammann
- Climate Change Research for Special Crops, Department of Applied Ecology, Hochschule Geisenheim University, Von-Lade Str. 1, 65366, Geisenheim, Germany.
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