Maize Trial with Puraloop in Germany

4

P-use efficiency
Safe phosphorus uptake from Puraloop equals to TSP

Weihenstephan-Triesdorf
2024

Trail

4

P-use efficiency

Key Conclusions

Puraloop® stands out as a highly efficient phosphorus fertilizer. It performs comparably to TSP in terms of growth, uptake, and biomass increase. While it shows a slightly lower immediate fertilizing effect, its unique formulation ensures that phosphorus is released more gradually, enhancing overall efficiency. This slower release allows plants to take up phosphorus more effectively, leveraging the strongest competitive forces in the soil. Consequently, Puraloop® provides plants with a sustained and efficient phosphorus supply, promoting healthier and more robust growth over time.

Objective

As part of the trial, the P fertilization effect of Puraloop® (P38) and Coated-TSP (TSPC) were tested in comparison to triple superphosphate (TSP) in a pot trial with maize at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. Maize was selected for this trial because it is a heavy feeder that clearly reacts to poor P supply.

A silty loam with a low pH value (soil pH 5.1) and a sandy loam with a higher pH value (soil pH 7.2) were used as test soils. The soils were additionally fertilized with nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and trace elements.

 

Trial Details

Trial station

Weihenstephan-Triesdorf

Crop

Maize

Assessments

Fresh matter, dry matter, P-uptake

Treatments

The analyses of the total P content (wet digestion under pressure with HNO₃/H₂O₂) resulted in the following treatments for two soils in the trial:

Control, no phosphorus
Puraloop® 36.2 % total P₂O₅
TSP 47.0 % total P₂O₅

The following soil situations were simulated in the pots:

 

Soil typepH (CaCl₂)P₂O₅ (*CAL)K₂O (*CAL)MgO (*CaCl₂)
1/silty loam5.1870345
2/sandy loam7.21965142

*in mg/kg of soil

Treatments

The analyses of the total P content (wet digestion under pressure with HNO₃/H₂O₂) resulted in the following treatments for two soils in the trial:

Control, no phosphorus
Puraloop® 36.2 % total P₂O₅
TSP 47.0 % total P₂O₅

The following soil situations were simulated in the pots:

 

Soil typepH (CaCl₂)P₂O₅ (*CAL)K₂O (*CAL)MgO (*CaCl₂)
1/silty loam5.1870345
2/sandy loam7.21965142

*in mg/kg of soil

Results

The trial showed the following results with regard to P uptake and yield:

The P use efficiency, or P fertilizer efficiency, of TSP is slightly lower than Puraloop.

 

Differences in growth

No visual differences during growth due to P fertilization on both the soils and both pH values.

 

 

 

The following bar chart shows the P uptake in the treatments:

 

  • Regardless of the soil pH value, Puraloop® has a significant P fertilization effect, which is only slightly lower with Puraloop® than with TSP.
  • On average over both soils, the phosphorus utilization efficiency of Puraloop® was 9.9 (± 0.3) %. TSP was 10.7 (± 0.4) % and did not differ significantly from either of the other two treatments.
  • In the soil with pH 5, no significant differences in the P uptake of the plants can be seen.
  • In soil with pH 7.2, there were no significant differences in uptake between the Puraloop® and TSP fertilizer variants, where TSP values were only slightly higher.

 

 

  • Significantly more phosphate is extracted from the soil with a low pH value with TSP than with Puraloop®. In soil with a higher pH value, the quantities for Puraloop® and TSP are relatively comparable.

 

 

 

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