Effect of Inorganic Salts on the Solubilization of Phosphorus from Chemical Fertilizers

In this study, the effect that inorganic salts have on the solubilization of phosphorus from chemical fertilizers was analyzed. A commercial fertilizer (NKP = 15% - 15% - 15%) and the inorganic salts CuSO4, CaCO3 and CuCl2 were used for the experimental studies. All analyzed samples were obtained by mechanical mixing a constant amount of solid fertilizer with 1 – 2% inorganic salts, followed by their dissolution in distilled water. The obtained results showed that the presence of inorganic salts significantly affects the solubilization of phosphorus, the decrease in the concentration of soluble phosphorus in the obtained solutions being 14.5 – 29.6% lower than in the control sample. An important decrease in the concentration of easily soluble phosphorus can be also observed when fertilizer samples were place in the soil. The presence of inorganic salts leads to a decrease in the concentration of soluble phosphorus in the soil samples by up to 54% compared to the control sample. These results highlight the effect that inorganic salts have on the efficiency of the use of phosphorus chemical fertilizers to increase soil quality.