ABSTRACT
Deficiency in plant-available phosphorus is considered to be a major limiting factor to food production in many agricultural soils. Mineral resources are necessary to restore soil phosphorus content. In regions where conventional fertilizers are not used due to cost limitations or to mitigate adverse environmental effects, local sources of phosphate rock are being increasingly recognized for potential use as alternative phosphorus fertilizers. The main obstacle associated with using directly applied ground phosphate rock is that the phosphate released is often unable to supply sufficient plant-available phosphorus for crop uptake. Plantand microbial-based mechanisms are low-cost, appropriate technologies to enhance the solubilization and increase the agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rock. Common mechanisms of phosphate rock dissolution including proton and organic acid production will be reviewed for both plants and microorganisms. This review will also address possibilities for future research directions and applications to agriculture, as well as highlight ongoing research at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
Subject(s)
Agriculture/methods , Crops, Agricultural , Fertilizers , Phosphates , Soil/analysis , Geologic Sediments/chemistry , Soil MicrobiologyABSTRACT
Deficiency in plant-available phosphorus is considered to be a major limiting factor to food production in many agricultural soils. Mineral resources are necessary to restore soil phosphorus content. In regions where conventional fertilizers are not used due to cost limitations or to mitigate adverse environmental effects, local sources of phosphate rock are being increasingly recognized for potential use as alternative phosphorus fertilizers. The main obstacle associated with using directly applied ground phosphate rock is that the phosphate released is often unable to supply sufficient plant-available phosphorus for crop uptake. Plantand microbial-based mechanisms are low-cost, appropriate technologies to enhance the solubilization and increase the agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rock. Common mechanisms of phosphate rock dissolution including proton and organic acid production will be reviewed for both plants and microorganisms. This review will also address possibilities for future research directions and applications to agriculture, as well as highlight ongoing research at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
A deficiência de fósforo disponível nas plantas é considerada o maior fator de limitação na produção de alimentos em diversos solos agrícolas. São necessários recursos minerais para restaurar o conteúdo de fósforo no solo. Em regiões onde fertilizantes convencionais nãosão utilizados devido às limitações de custo ou de seus efeitos ambientais adversos, fontes locais de rocha fosfática estão sendo crescentemente reconhecidas por seu uso potencial como alternativa aos fertilizantes solúveis de fósforo. O principal obstáculo associado ao uso daaplicação direta da rocha fosfática no solo é que o fósforo liberado é, muitas vezes, incapaz de suprir as necessidades das plantas de forma a aumentar a produção. Mecanismos baseados no uso de plantas e micro-organismos são consideradas tecnologias apropriadas de baixo custo, para ativar a solubilização e aumentar a efetividade agronômica das rochas fosfáticas. Mecanismos comuns de dissolução da rocha fosfática, incluindo a produção de prótons e ácidos orgânicos serão revisados tanto para plantas quanto para microorganismos. Esta revisão também tratará das possibilidades para futuras pesquisas com rochas fosfáticas e suas aplicações na agricultura, assim como destaca pesquisas em andamento na Universidade de Guelph, Canadá.