Evaluation of different phosphate organomineral fertilizers in maize cultivation on soils with contrasting phosphorus contents

Purpose: Organomineral fertilizers (OMFs) are agronomic inputs combining organic material with mineral fertilizers. The study evaluates the biomass production and P accumulation in maize by applying phosphate OMFs from different organic sources. Method: Two soils with high (Arenosol) and low (Planosol) P content were used. For each soil, an experiment with a factorial arrangement (4 x 4 + 1) was carried out, with the factors being P doses (50, 100, 200, and 300 mg kg-1) and P sources [mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), OMF from vegetable waste and horse manure compost (VHW), OMF from swine waste compost (SW), and OMF from calcined bone meal (BM)]. P was not applied in the additional treatment. Three successive cycles of maize were carried out, and shoot dry mass (SDM) and shoot phosphorus accumulation (APS) were measured. Results: The response of plants to P sources and doses was more evident in the Planosol. The OMFs obtained from different organic sources generally showed similar results for APS and SDM. MAP promoted superior results for the accumulated values of both variables in the accumulated crops, mainly in the Planosol and at the higher tested doses. Conclusion: Different OMF showed similar results for shoot phosphorus accumulation and shoot dry matter. MAP provided better results than OMF in the highest rates for cumulative SDM and APS in the Planosol. Phosphorus fertilization in built-fertility soils is only necessary to maintain the P extracted by crops. Research Highlights: OMFs from three organic sources provided similar dry matter and P accumulation results. MAP showed higher efficiency than OMFs, mainly in higher fertilizing rates. Maize plants showed higher responses for sources and rates in the Planosol. Phosphorus fertilization in built-fertility soils is only necessary to maintain the phosphorus extracted by crops in each harvest.