A laboratory study by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) has found that carbon-based organo-mineral fertilizers made from dairy manure can keep phosphorus and potassium available later into the season than conventional fertilizers, closer to when crops need them. The research was a partnership with Midwestern BioAg, which makes the products, CropLife reports.
The 98-day soil incubation study compared TerraNu pBase and TerraNu K+ with monoammonium phosphate (MAP), muriate of potash (MOP) and sulfate of potash (SOP) in acidic and alkaline soils, under temperature and timing conditions designed to represent the US northern High Plains.
In alkaline soil, MAP showed its highest phosphorus availability in the first 14 days, while TerraNu pBase peaked at about 35 days. In acidic soil, TerraNu pBase reached its highest availability within the 14- to 35-day window when crop demand is high.
TerraNu K+ released potassium more steadily across both soils than MOP and SOP, which produced sharper spikes that varied with soil conditions. In alkaline soil it provided about 15% more total available potassium than MOP, and availability stayed elevated from 49 to 77 days after application, overlapping strong potassium demand in corn and soybeans.
"We were encouraged to see TerraNu pBase provide phosphorus availability comparable to conventional phosphorus fertilizers, while TerraNu K+ provided similar or, under certain conditions, greater potassium availability than conventional sources," said Kiran Pavuluri, director of innovations and research at IFDC. Christopher Kniffen, senior director of product development at Midwestern BioAg, said that with mineral fertilizer costs rising, nutrients released before a crop can use them are value lost.
The work was a soil incubation, not a field trial, and the two organisations said further findings would follow. They argue that better timing could help growers use fertilizer more efficiently and reduce the risk of nutrients becoming unavailable or moving off the field, which in the High Plains also affects downstream water quality.
Photo: Michael Trolove / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: CropLife
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