Effect Of Recycled And Value-Added Organic Waste On Solubilization Of Rock Phosphate In Soil And Its Influence On Maize Growth

Rock phosphate (RP), a naturally occurring mineral source of insoluble phosphate used predominantly in acidic soils, while in calcareous/basic soils it is insoluble. The solubilization of insoluble forms of P (using RP as P-source) by organic acids is the major advantage of composting through, which organic wastes are converted biologically into partially humified material. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of two sources of organic waste (cow dung & fruit waste) blended with RP @ 10% P(2)O(5) and unblended compost on release of plant available P in soil. The organic wastes (blended & unblended) were subjected to composting. The soil was spiked with different rates of compost (blended & unblended with RP). The results revealed that RP-blended cow dung (RP-CD) released maximum plant available P than RP-enriched fruit waste (RP-FW). Further experiments indicated that RP enriched compost (RP-EC) was more effective in releasing plant available P than that when RP and compost were independently applied to soil. Pot trial on maize confirmed the significance of RP-EC for enhancing plant available P as it not only enhanced growth and yield of maize but also decreased the cost of production. In crux, RP-EC could be an effective strategy for obtaining maximum maize yield with low cost input, in addition to improved soil fertility. (C) 2011 Friends Science Publishers