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Why use P-solubilizing products?

Why should farmers use Phosphorus (P)-solubilizing products? The world has never produced more food through agriculture than it does today. Phosphorus fertilizer plays an important role in increasing agricultural output, however dwindling supplies and its overall environmental impact have begun the conversation on how to manage this resource more efficiently.

Application of P to commercial crops is necessary to sustain current levels of productivity. But use of chemical P suffers from 3 main issues:

  1. Supply
  2. Recycling
  3. Environment

Supply

The main source of phosphorus fertilizer today is mineral phosphate. While phosphate fertilizer is currently widely available to farmers in developed countries that could change based on supply and demand. The Covid-19 pandemic showed the world how global supply chains can be disrupted leading to price shocks.

75 per cent of the world’s known reserves of phosphate lie in the Western Sahara in a disputed region that is claimed by both the kingdom of Morocco and the indigenous people of the region (3). While Canada and the US do currently have their own phosphate mines, they control very small amounts on a global scale. With Canada accounting for less than 1 per cent of the world’s supply and the US accounting for 2 per cent (4).

As we continue to mine phosphate, we will eventually reach a point of maximum production after which production will decline. This is known as peak phosphorus. With current consumption rates being driven up by China and India we could see a peak in production as early as 2030. After that we will be into an economy of dwindling reserves and rising prices. While recent estimates suggest that there is still between 300-400 years of mineral phosphate left to be mined that doesn’t mean that it will continue to be accessible and cheap (1,2).

Recycling

There are other sources of phosphorus. Manure and municipal wastewater being two of the biggest. Manure can cause a buildup of phosphorus in the soil because it is largely applied to obtain needed nitrogen (5). Municipal wastewater treatment to recover P is still in its infancy and faces significant regulatory and technological challenges. While there are examples of being able to produce commercial P with municipal wastewater this is not currently an economically viable large-scale alternative to mined phosphate (6).

These examples show that we don’t need to get phosphorus from mineral sources. However, because of its effectiveness and price point mineral phosphate will continue to be a major source of agricultural fertilizer for the foreseeable future.

Environment

Another consideration is the environmental impacts of P application, specifically overland runoff, and the eutrophication of bodies of water. This is when excess P causes large algae blooms to form on waterways. While eutrophication happens to lakes naturally over time it has been observed that human activity including wastewater and agricultural runoff accelerate the process (7).

Farmers are efficient people. They do not apply more P than they feel is necessary to make their crop grow because economically it wouldn’t make sense. However, as we have seen in previous blogs even when commercial P is applied under the best conditions less than half is available for plant use. This can mean that farmers need to apply excess P to the soil (to make sure that enough is bioavailable) leading to runoff.

Using P-solubilizing technologies like XiteBio® Yield+ helps to improve P use efficiency. This allows farmers to use targeted amounts of chemical P fertilizers while also tapping immobilized P that exists in the soil. Using biotech to enhance bioavailable P can be a win / win helping both the environment and the farmer’s bottom line. However, as with any fertilizer program each farmer and field are going to be different, and we always recommend consulting your agronomist to create a plan tailored to you.

So why use P-solubilizing products? By preserving our mineral stockpiles of P we ensure food security for the coming generations. And by making efficient use of applied and stored P we create less runoff which leads to healthier waterways, preserving sources of drinking water and irrigation. Improving P use efficiency also puts farmers ahead of regulators by attacking the problem with industry solutions rather than bureaucratic ones. Sustainability is a journey not a destination. At XiteBio® we are proud to say that we produce technologies that help us on the journey towards a sustainable future.

If you would like to learn more here is our full P-solubilizing series

References:

  1. https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-farms-are-hooked-on-phosphorus-its-a-problem/
  2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18326-7
  3. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/11/the-desert-rock-that-feeds-the-world/508853/
  4. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-largest-phosphate-reserves.html
  5. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/managing-phosphorus-from-animal-manure.html#:~:text=Phosphorus%20occurs%20in%20animal%20manure,taken%20up%20by%20growing%20plants.
  6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716314656
  7. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.6b02204

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