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Evaluating agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rocks using nuclear and related techniques: Results from an FAO/IAEA co-ordinated research project

Abstract

An FAO/IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project, 'The use of nuclear and related techniques for evaluating the agronomic effectiveness of phosphatic fertilisers, in particular rock phosphates', was in operation during the period 1993-98. The research network comprised twenty-three scientists, of whom seventeen were in developing countries, with six in industrialized nations. Conventional and {sup 32}P-isotope techniques were utilized to assess the bioavailability of P in soils amended with phosphate rock (PR) and water-soluble fertilisers, and to evaluate the agronomic effectiveness of PR products. No single chemical extraction method was found to be suitable for all soils and fertilisers. The Pi strip method showed promising results, but more testing is needed with tropical acid soils. The {sup 32}P-phosphate-exchange kinetics method allowed a complete characterization of P dynamics, and provided basic information for estimating the kinetic pools of soil P. The agronomic effectiveness (AE) of PRs depends on their solubility (reactivity), which is related to the degree of carbonate substitution for phosphate in the apatite structure. Rock phosphates of low reactivity were unsuitable for direct application to annual crops. Research in Venezuela, China, Cuba, Brazil, and Thailand demonstrated that AE can be increased by partial acidulation, or by mixing with organic materials or a  More>>
Authors:
Zapata, F [1] 
  1. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
Publication Date:
Jun 01, 2000
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IAEA-TECDOC-1159
Reference Number:
EDB-00:114089
Resource Relation:
Conference: Consultants meeting on management and conservation of tropical acid soils for sustainable crop production, Vienna (Austria), 1-3 Mar 1999; Other Information: 19 refs, 2 tabs; PBD: Jun 2000; Related Information: In: Management and conservation of tropical acid soils for sustainable crop production. Proceedings of a consultants meeting, 139 pages.
Subject:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; AGRICULTURE; BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY; FERTILIZERS; NITROGEN FIXATION; PHOSPHATE ROCKS; PHOSPHORUS 32; PLANT GROWTH; RHIZOBIUM; ROOT ABSORPTION; SOLUBILITY; TRACER TECHNIQUES
OSTI ID:
20083943
Research Organizations:
Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna (Austria)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ISSN 1011-4289; TRN: XA0055232039188
Availability:
Available from INIS in electronic form
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 91-100
Announcement Date:
Dec 19, 2000

Citation Formats

Zapata, F. Evaluating agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rocks using nuclear and related techniques: Results from an FAO/IAEA co-ordinated research project. IAEA: N. p., 2000. Web.
Zapata, F. Evaluating agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rocks using nuclear and related techniques: Results from an FAO/IAEA co-ordinated research project. IAEA.
Zapata, F. 2000. "Evaluating agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rocks using nuclear and related techniques: Results from an FAO/IAEA co-ordinated research project." IAEA.
@misc{etde_20083943,
title = {Evaluating agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rocks using nuclear and related techniques: Results from an FAO/IAEA co-ordinated research project}
author = {Zapata, F}
abstractNote = {An FAO/IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project, 'The use of nuclear and related techniques for evaluating the agronomic effectiveness of phosphatic fertilisers, in particular rock phosphates', was in operation during the period 1993-98. The research network comprised twenty-three scientists, of whom seventeen were in developing countries, with six in industrialized nations. Conventional and {sup 32}P-isotope techniques were utilized to assess the bioavailability of P in soils amended with phosphate rock (PR) and water-soluble fertilisers, and to evaluate the agronomic effectiveness of PR products. No single chemical extraction method was found to be suitable for all soils and fertilisers. The Pi strip method showed promising results, but more testing is needed with tropical acid soils. The {sup 32}P-phosphate-exchange kinetics method allowed a complete characterization of P dynamics, and provided basic information for estimating the kinetic pools of soil P. The agronomic effectiveness (AE) of PRs depends on their solubility (reactivity), which is related to the degree of carbonate substitution for phosphate in the apatite structure. Rock phosphates of low reactivity were unsuitable for direct application to annual crops. Research in Venezuela, China, Cuba, Brazil, and Thailand demonstrated that AE can be increased by partial acidulation, or by mixing with organic materials or a water-soluble source. The AE can be enhanced also through inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria. The AE, which depends on species, is particularly high in crops such as canola and lupin that exude organic acids from the roots. Agronomic effectiveness of PR is higher on soils with low pH, low available P, low exchangeable Ca, high cation exchange capacity and high organic-matter content. The {sup 32}P-techniques are powerful tools for studying the factors that affect AE. Information from field trials was used to create a database for validating a model for providing recommendations for PR application. (author)}
place = {IAEA}
year = {2000}
month = {Jun}
}