Sustainability of phosphorus fertilisation: sources and forms of phosphate

• Autor(a) principal: Monteiro, M.C.H.
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/3184
• topic: Eutrophication; Fertilisers; Phosphate rock; Soil tests phosphorus; Struvite

Phosphorus (P), which originates from a non-renewable natural resource, is essential for crop productivity, food security and human health, despite being a finite resource its use has been increasing consistently over the last few decades. The major use of the phosphate rock is the manufacture of P fertiliser, agriculture also being the main source for nonpoint source P pollution, which causes the eutrophication of water bodies. Thus, there is great need for a sustainable use of P with special attention to agricultural use, namely P fertilisation. This paper explores P sources and forms that could be phytoavailable and hence used as fertilisers. Current ideas in phosphorus fertilisation are also discussed with a focus on approaches to net decrease in phosphate rock exploitation and closure of phosphorus cycle use.