The reutilization of biomass ashes in agriculture is an important issue to create nutrient cycles and to save fertilizer. To analyse the P fertilization effect of crop biomass ashes (rape meal ash (RMA), straw ash (SA), and cereal ash (CA)) in interaction with different crops, two pot experiments with a poor loamy sand deficient in P were carried out. Besides the three ash treatments, other treatments included triple superphosphate (TSP) as a high soluble P source, potassium chloride (KCl) as a high soluble K source, and a control (CON) without P and K. The main crops (maize, lupin, summer barley, and oilseed rape) were cultivated in the first experiment from April to May and the catch crops (oil radish, phacelia, italian ryegrass, and buckwheat) were cultivated in the second experiment from August to September. Plant parameters (biomass and P uptake of shoots), soil pH, different P pools of the soil (total P (Pt), water soluble P (Pw), double lactate soluble P (Pdl), oxalate soluble P (Pox)), P sorption capacity (PSC), and the degree of P saturation (DPS) were investigated. The fertilization effect of biomass ashes was comparable with that of TSP. On average of all crops, the highest P uptake (86.7 mg pot -1 ) was found after RMA application, and the lowest P uptake (66.6 mg pot -1 ) for CON. The readily bio-available soil P contents (Pw and Pdl) were significantly increased when P was supplied, regardless of whether P was given with ash or with high soluble TSP. The P fertilization effects also depended on the cultivated crops. The ash treatments resulted in highest increases of soil Pw values when combined with buckwheat cultivation. After buckwheat harvest the Pw content in the control was 8.0 mg kg -1 , and in the ash treatments between 13.9 mg kg -1 (CA) and 15.7 mg kg -1 (RMA). From the results of this study we conclude, that crop biomass ashes can be an adequate P source comparable to that of highly soluble commercial P fertilizer.
The reutilization of biomass ashes in agriculture is important to create nutrient cycles. In field and pot experiments we investigated the fertilizing effects of different biomass ashes (rape meal ash, straw ash, and cereal ash) for eight different crops on a loamy sand and a sandy loam. Special emphasis was given to phosphorus (P). The ashes showed large differences in their elemental composition. The highest P contents (10.5%) were measured in the cereal ash, and lowest in straw ash (1% P). The solubility of P in water was low; however, about 80% of P was soluble in citric acid. Generally, the P fertilizing effect of ashes was comparable to that of highly soluble P fertilizers such as triple superphosphate. The ash supply resulted in an increase of P uptake of cultivated crops as well as in increased soil P pools (total P, water-soluble P, double-lactate-soluble P, oxalate-soluble P) and P saturation. The ash effects depended also on the cultivated crop. Good results were found in combination with phacelia, buckwheat, and maize. Provided that biomass ashes are low in heavy metals and other toxic substances, the ashes can be applied in agriculture as a valuable fertilizer.
This chapter focuses on management options to increase the utilization of phosphorus (P) in agroecosystems like (i) catch cropping and mixed cropping, by (ii) application of beneficial microorganisms, and by (iii) P recycling with wastes and residues.
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