Screening two biodegradable polymers in enhanced efficiency fertiliser formulations reveals the need to prioritise performance goals
Article
Article Title | Screening two biodegradable polymers in enhanced efficiency fertiliser formulations reveals the need to prioritise performance goals |
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ERA Journal ID | 5850 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Redding, M.R., Witt, T., Lobsey, C.R., Mayer, D.G., Hunter, B., Pratt, S., Robinson, N., Schmidt, S., Laycock, B. and Phillips, I. |
Journal Title | Journal of Environmental Management |
Journal Citation | 304 |
Article Number | 114264 |
Number of Pages | 9 |
Year | 2022 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 0301-4797 |
1093-0191 | |
1095-8630 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114264 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479721023264 |
Abstract | Enhanced efficiency fertilisers (EEF) may reduce nitrogen (N) losses and improve uptake efficiency through synchronising N release with in-season plant requirements. We hypothesised that EEF formed via matrix encapsulation in biodegradable polymers will improve N use efficiency when compared to conventional urea fertiliser. This hypothesis was investigated for two biodegradable polymer matrices: polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), containing 11.6% urea (by mass), and polybutylene-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), containing either 19.4 or 32.7% urea; and two contrasting soil types: sand and clay. Nitrogen availability and form was investigated under leaching conditions (water) with a growth accelerator pot experiment involving a horticultural crop and novel non-destructive three-dimensional scanning to measure in-season biomass development. The PBAT 32.7% formulation enabled greater above ground biomass production at both 50 and 100 kg N ha−1 equivalent application rates compared to conventional urea. For the sandy soil, plant scanning indicated that improved uptake performance with PBAT 32.7% was probably the result of greater N availability after 25 days than for conventional urea. Two of the encapsulated formulations (PHA and PBAT 19.4%) tended to decrease nitrogen leaching losses relative to urea (P < 0.05 for the red clay soil). However, decreased N leaching loss was accompanied by poorer N uptake performance, indicative of N being less available in these biopolymer formulations. A snapshot of nitrous oxide emissions collected during peak nitrate concentration (prior to planting and leaching) suggested that the biopolymers promoted N loss via gaseous emission relative to urea in the sandy soil (P < 0.05), and carbon dioxide emissions data suggested that biopolymer-carbon increased microbial activity (P < 0.1). Controlled testing of N release in water was a poor predictor of biomass production and leaching losses. The diverse behaviours of the tested formulations present the potential to optimise biopolymers and their N loadings by taking into account soil and environmental factors that influence the efficient delivery of N to target crops. The greater N uptake efficiency demonstrated for the PBAT 32.7% formulation confirms our hypothesis that matrix encapsulation can enable better synchronisation of N release with crop requirements and decrease leaching losses. |
Keywords | Nitrogen fertiliser ; Enhanced efficiency fertilisers ; Nitrogen use efficiency ; In-season nutrient supply ; Mechatronics; Robotic plant scanning |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 300206. Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland |
University of Queensland | |
School of Engineering |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z029q/screening-two-biodegradable-polymers-in-enhanced-efficiency-fertiliser-formulations-reveals-the-need-to-prioritise-performance-goals
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