Alobwede, E., Leake, J.R. orcid.org/0000-0001-8364-7616 and Pandhal, J. (2019) Circular economy fertilization: Testing micro and macro algal species as soil improvers and nutrient sources for crop production in greenhouse and field conditions. Geoderma, 334. pp. 113-123. ISSN 0016-7061
Abstract
Nutrient losses from agricultural land to freshwater and marine environments contribute to eutrophication and often to the growth of algal blooms. However, the potential benefits of recycling this algal biomass back to agricultural land for soil quality and crop nutrition in a “circular-economy” has received little attention. We tested the effects of algal additions to arable soil in greenhouse-grown garden peas, and field plots of spring wheat, on plant growth and nutrition and physical and chemical properties of the soil. Representatives of five algal species, which contrasted in elemental composition, were applied at 0.2, 2 and 4 g kg−1in the greenhouse and at 24 g m2in the field. These included the cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina), the unicellular green algae Chlorella sp., the red seaweed Palmaria palmata, and the brown seaweeds Laminaria digitata and Ascophyllum nodosum. In the greenhouse at the highest application rates (4 g kg−1), Chlorella sp., and Spirulina increased soil total nitrogen and available phosphorus, and Spirulina also increased soil nitrate concentrations. P. palmata and L. digitata significantly increased soil inorganic (NH4+and NO3−) concentrations under all three application rates. Chlorella sp. significantly increased soil total P, N and C, available P, NH4+-N, and pea yield. Soil water-stable aggregates were unchanged by the algal additions in both the greenhouse and field study. In the field, 4 species (Chlorella sp. Spirulina, P. palmata and L. digitata) increased soil inorganic nitrogen concentrations, confirming their potential to recycle mineralizable nitrogen to agricultural soils, but no significant effects were found on wheat yields under the application rates tested.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Crown Copyright © 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Circular economy; Agricultural soil; Algae; Soil nutrient status; Plant nutrition; Yield |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) > Department of Animal and Plant Sciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL NE/K015591/1 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL NE/J024767/1 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL UNSPECIFIED ROYAL SOCIETY RG140626 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 23 Aug 2018 12:22 |
Last Modified: | 23 Aug 2018 12:22 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.07.049 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.07.049 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:134821 |