Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Microgranular Fertilizers as an Option to Reduce Nutrient Sur-Pluses When Growing Maize (Zea mays) in Regions with High Livestock Farming Intensity

Version 1 : Received: 4 August 2023 / Approved: 7 August 2023 / Online: 8 August 2023 (07:06:52 CEST)

How to cite: Eulenstein, F.; Ahlborn, J.; Thielicke, M. Microgranular Fertilizers as an Option to Reduce Nutrient Sur-Pluses When Growing Maize (Zea mays) in Regions with High Livestock Farming Intensity. Preprints 2023, 2023080623. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0623.v1 Eulenstein, F.; Ahlborn, J.; Thielicke, M. Microgranular Fertilizers as an Option to Reduce Nutrient Sur-Pluses When Growing Maize (Zea mays) in Regions with High Livestock Farming Intensity. Preprints 2023, 2023080623. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0623.v1

Abstract

The present contribution provides the first agro-economic and ecological account of the in-furrow application of a mineral and an organomineral microgranular fertilizer in comparison to a wide spread mineral band fertilizer in temperate climate regions. The reduction of phosphorus inputs while maintaining the yield of maize plants (Zea mays) is the focus of the study. In a three-year field trial, the dry matter yields gained with the two phosphorus-reduced microgranular fertilizers and standard diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilization were examined. The application of the organomineral microgranular fertilizer resulted in dry matter yields that were 15% higher (2.8 tons per hectare) than the DAP variant, while higher yields using the mineral microgranular fertilizer occurred only in a single year. The higher yield of the organomineral microgranular fertilizer and the lower phosphorus amounts applied with 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. A similar pattern of phosphorus balance was observed on the plots fertilized with the mineral microgranular fertilizer. We conclude that both tested microgranular fertilizers provide an adequate alternative to the wide-spread DAP fertilization in maize cultivation on fertile soils.

Keywords

microgranules; eutrophication; corn; phosphorus; DAP

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy

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