The Potential of Microgranular Fertilizers to Reduce Nutrient Surpluses When Growing Maize (Zea mays) in Regions with High Livestock Farming Intensity

Abstract

This contribution provides the first agroeconomic account of the application of a mineral microgranular fertilizer and an organomineral microgranular fertilizer directly beneath the corn in comparison to a common mineral band fertilizer in temperate climate regions. The focus of the study is on the reduction in phosphorus inputs while maintaining the yield of maize plants (Zea mays). The study used a three-year field trial to tabulate dry matter yields using the two phosphorus-reduced microgranular fertilizers, as well as a standard diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilization method. The application of the organomineral microgranular fertilizer resulted in dry matter yields that were 15% higher (2.8 Mg per hectare) than the DAP variant, while higher yields using the mineral microgranular fertilizer only occurred in a single year. The higher yield of the organomineral microgranular fertilizer and the lower phosphorus amounts as a result of using that product resulted in a moderate phosphorus excess of 2.7 kg P ha−1, while DAP fertilization resulted in a surplus of 25.5 kg per hectare. The phosphorus balance on the plots fertilized with the mineral microgranular fertilizer followed a pattern similar to that of the organomineral microgranular fertilizer. We conclude that both microgranular fertilizers, applied directly beneath the corn, provide an adequate alternative to widespread DAP fertilization as a fertilizer band in maize cultivation on fertile soils.