Low-grade rock phosphate enriched human urine as novel fertilizer for sustaining and improving agricultural productivity of Cicer arietinum

In order to sustain food production in a resource-scarce scenario it is vital that maximum utility is derived from available reserves while simultaneously promoting their recycling. Further, substantial value can be sourced if approaches are devised that utilize resources that were erstwhile conside...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainable production and consumption Vol. 6; pp. 62 - 66
Main Authors Ganesapillai, M., Simha, Prithvi, Beknalkar, Sumedh Sudhir, Sekhar, D.M.R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.04.2016
Subjects
Alternative fertilizer
Crop productivity
Sustainable agriculture
Waste minimization
Waste utilization
Alternative fertilizer
Waste utilization
Sustainable agriculture
Waste minimization
Crop productivity
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In order to sustain food production in a resource-scarce scenario it is vital that maximum utility is derived from available reserves while simultaneously promoting their recycling. Further, substantial value can be sourced if approaches are devised that utilize resources that were erstwhile considered wastes. To look towards alternative fertilization techniques, this study suggests a novel fertilizer combination of two waste products: low-grade Rock Phosphate (RP) tailing and human urine. It is demonstrated that the combined use of urine (nitrogen) and low-grade RP (phosphorous) can indeed act as a substitute to synthetic inorganic fertilizers. Crop trials were carried out for Cicer arietinum using RP enriched urine at various application rates on a red loamy soil (pH of 8.11). Observations made from plant growth response indicated that direct application of this fertilizer combination resulted in performance equivalent to mineral fertilizer Di-Ammonium Phosphate added in the same ratio. The use of RP enriched urine thus holds a lot of promise for simultaneous waste minimization, waste utilization, and improved resource-use efficiency. •Low grade rock phosphate enriched human urine as alternative fertilizer is proposed.•Crop trials showed its favorability and competitiveness against mineral fertilizers.•Fertilization caused 40% increase in biomass and 30% increase in plant height.•Study revealed waste recycling to be sustainable in enhancing crop productivity.•Simultaneous waste minimization, utilization and improved resource-use efficiency.
ISSN:2352-5509
2352-5509
DOI:10.1016/j.spc.2016.01.005