Imported phosphate for fertiliser is expensive – could this homegrown alternative be a solution?

By Leo M Condron, Distinguished Professor of Soil Science, Lincoln University, New Zealand

Since the end of the second world war, adding phosphorus to soils in the form of mineral fertiliser has played a crucial role in increasing and maintaining global food production in response to population growth.

However, plants only take up 20-50% of the phosphorus from fertiliser applications.

The unused phosphorus is mainly stabilised through chemical reactions which bind it to soil minerals. It accumulates as “legacy soil phosphorus”, with an increased risk of contributing to water pollution.

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