Phosphorus-laden Mg/Fe Layered Double Hydroxide Dispersed on Douglas fir Biochar as a Controlled Release Fertilizer and its effect on the growth of bush beans (Phaseolus vurlagris).
Singh, T.; Rodrigo, P. M.; Folk, R. A.; Dhillon, J.; Varco, J. J.; Mlsna, T.
Soil Health
Growing beans or tomatoes in depleted backyard soil could soon mean one application of a biochar-based fertilizer that feeds your plants all season without the runoff that turns nearby streams green every summer.
Scientists made a special fertilizer by attaching phosphorus — a nutrient plants need to grow roots and flowers — to charcoal particles coated with a mineral layer that acts like a slow-release capsule. Instead of washing away in rain like regular fertilizer, the phosphorus stays put and releases gradually as plants need it. Bean plants grown with this material produced more beans and grew taller than plants given standard fertilizer.
Key Findings
Bush beans fertilized with P-Mg/Fe-LDH biochar produced 31.7 g fresh bean weight and 6.3 g dry plant biomass, outperforming both unfertilized controls and conventional phosphorus fertilizers.
Plants reached 32.8 cm in height and achieved phosphorus uptake of 1.88 mg P per gram of plant tissue at an application rate of 100.88 kg P₂O₅ per hectare.
The biochar composite reduced phosphorus leaching losses by providing a buffered, controlled-release mechanism confirmed via surface area analysis and elemental characterization.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers created a slow-release phosphorus fertilizer by coating wood-derived charcoal with a mineral compound that holds and gradually releases phosphorus. Bush beans grown with this material outperformed those given conventional fertilizers in yield, biomass, and nutrient uptake.
Abstract Preview
Many agricultural soils are deficient in key macronutrients needed for healthy plant development. Relying on highly water-soluble commercial fertilizers for long durations can be costly and environ...
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Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant. Its botanical classification, along with other Phaseolus species, is as a member of the legume family, Fabaceae. It forms a green-leaved vine which produces beans inside of pods.