Phosphorus fertilizer: from commodity to speciality - from fertilizing the field to fertilizing the plant

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2024 Dec:90:103198. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103198. Epub 2024 Sep 14.

Abstract

Phosphatic fertilizers are indispensable for sustainable agriculture, but phosphorus (P) scarcity has drawn global attention with respect to research and policy discussions. Soil conditions (pH, organic matter, metal oxides), P-fertilizer form and its application methods, and plant growth mechanisms influence plant P availability. Given the nonrenewable nature and low use efficiency of P, the development of speciality P-fertilizers and improved application methods are essential for reducing environmental P losses and increasing plant P uptake, thereby improving P use efficiency (PUE). This paper explores strategies for using innovative P-fertilizers targeting plant physiological processes instead of conventional bulk field applications to enhance PUE.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture* / methods
  • Crops, Agricultural / growth & development
  • Crops, Agricultural / metabolism
  • Fertilizers*
  • Phosphorus* / chemistry
  • Phosphorus* / metabolism
  • Plant Development
  • Plants / metabolism
  • Soil / chemistry

Substances

  • Fertilizers
  • Phosphorus
  • Soil