Towards the Future of More Renewable Fertilizers in Agriculture

Phosphorus, an essential nutrient crucial in agriculture, undergoing its overexploitation phase. Considered a non-renewable fertilizer, the possible shortage of phosphorus in the near future is certainly a concerning issue since it is one of the most highly traded commodities in the world. Coming up with a solution to help reduce the consumption of phosphate chemical fertilizer, a study from the University of Sheffield's Institute for Sustainable Food introduced an enzyme that can help release phosphorus from its organic forms.

Phosphorus fertilizer is necessary for modern food production and is the limiting factor in crop yield. As the world’s population steadily grows, food production will thus have to increase as well to meet the needs. The consequence followed is the elevated demand for phosphorus fertilizer.

Majority of the world’s agriculture fields today intensively use fertilizer derived from phosphate rock. Required 10-15 million years to form from the seabed to soil via tectonic uplift and weathering, phosphate rock can be classified as a non-renewable resource. Unlike oil and other non-renewable natural resources that can be substituted, phosphorus currently possesses no substation in food production. Hence without innovations and changes made to the current trajectory, phosphorus demand could outstrip supply this century.

Non-renewable inorganic phosphate is the most basic form of phosphorus used in fertilizers, but regrettably, the amount of organic phosphate nutrients in the environment is frequently insufficient to support natural plant growth. In addition, the majority of the total phosphorus in the water and soil is found in complex organic forms that must be broken down by enzymes called phosphatases in order for plants and algae to use it as a nutrient.

Based upon the urgency to discover a way in reducing the consumption of phosphate chemical fertilizer and the limitation of available organic phosphate, a study from the University of Sheffield's Institute for Sustainable Food was able to identify a unique bacterial phosphate abundant in the environment known as PafA. The study examined the activity of PafA in vivo using a Flavobacterium model, and it demonstrated that it can quickly mineralize naturally produced organic phosphate without regard to phosphate level. The discovery brought another step closer to obtaining ways to help plants and animals more efficiently capture essential nutrients and will be important in assisting us in lessening our dependence on non-renewable chemical phosphorus fertilizers, as well as the harm caused by their rapid depletion.

Contributing to the growth of phosphate fertilizer, Tradeasia International offers our customers an extensive line of materials used in the agricultural industry as well as many others. Supported by Sree Logistics to deliver a seamless supply chain experience, Tradeasia International also presented optimized logistic services, especially ocean freight for containerized shipments.

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References:

University of Sheffield (2022, November 1). Study shows potential to reduce reliance on non-renewable fertilizers in agriculture.? Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-potential-reliance-non-renewable-fertilizers-agriculture.html

Phosphorus Future. (2022, November 1). The Story of Phosphorus: 7 reasons why we need to transform phosphorus use in the global food system. Retrieved from https://phosphorusfutures.net/the-phosphorus-challenge/the-story-of-phosphorus-8-reasons-why-we-need-to-rethink-the-management-of-phosphorus-resources-in-the-global-food-system/

Solugen (2022, November 1). Phosphorus; a non-renewable but essential resource for life. Retrieved from https://solugenglobal.com/en/phosphorus-a-non-renewable-but-essential-resource-for-life/