Organic wastes as alternative sources of phosphorus for plant nutrition in a calcareous soil

Recycled organic wastes (OW) can be a valuable P source; however, their P-fertilising capacity is still poorly known. In this study, we selected three anaerobic digestates [wastewater sludge (D1), winery sludge (D2), and bovine-slurry/energy crops (BD)] and two animal effluents [bovine slurry (BS) and swine slurry (SS)] to test their P-release and P-fertilising capacities via sequential chemical extraction (SCE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (31P NMR). Subsequently, the three digestates (30 mg P kg−1 of soil) were compared for the release of Olsen-P during a soil incubation and for plant-P apparent recovery (ARF) in a pot experiment using ryegrass (112 days) in a soil with poorly available-P (Olsen-P < 5 mg kg−1), under a non-limiting N environment. The amount of labile-P (H2O + NaHCO3), as determined from SCE, related well to the Olsen-P following OW addition to the soil. It was shown via 31P NMR spectroscopy that orthophosphate was the leading P-form in highly P-releasing OW. The amount of labile-P, however, was affected by soil adsorption, thereby reducing plant-P uptake. The plant-P ARF (%) showed that the recycled P-sources were clustered in highly (BD and SS: ≈20%), intermediately (D1 and BS: ≈15%), and poorly performing OWs (D2: ≈10%) vs. chemical P-source (P-chem: 20%). Therefore, only BD and SS were effective alternatives to P-chem; however, the other OW can be efficient P-sources in soils with higher Olsen-P. Thus, crop fertilisation can be tailored on a P-basis by SCE as a function of soil adsorption capacity and on an N-basis according to the demand.