Neofytou Giannis, Chrysargyris Antonios, Antoniou Maria G, Tzortzakis Nikolaos
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3603 Limassol, Cyprus.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, 3603 Limassol, Cyprus.
Plants (Basel). 2024 Oct 18;13(20):2917. doi: 10.3390/plants13202917.
To sustain the increasing needs of a rapidly growing population, agriculture has relied on the use of synthetic fertilizers to intensify its production. However, the economical, environmental and health impacts associated with their use have raised significant concerns, especially given the scarcity of phosphorus. Utilizing nutrient-recovered materials like struvite can enhance circularity in agriculture and reduce its reliance on synthetic fertilizers. The objective of this study was to assess the implementation of struvite as a complete substitute to triple superphosphate, for radish and spinach seedling production and early growth, with or without supplementary fertigation. In addition, two rates of struvite were examined (0.68 and 1.37 g L substrate) to evaluate its solubility. In the germination of radish, struvite had similar performance with conventional fertilization, while in spinach, the use of struvite decreased mean germination times. Both plants maintained comparable growth, chlorophyll content and antioxidant capacity when struvite was used, in comparison to conventional fertilizers. However, higher struvite rates under un-fertigated conditions significantly increased the chlorophyll b and total chlorophylls in the spinach, while phenolics and flavonoids decreased, contingent on the fertigation applications. In the radish, struvite maintained similar MDA and HO levels to conventional fertilization, while decreases occurred in the spinach, with the application of ST1 under un-fertigated conditions, compared with conventional fertilization. The P and N contents of the plants were also affected, though these effects varied depending on the plant species, fertigation applications and struvite rates. This variance can be attributed to the characteristics of struvite, the plant species and the cultivation practices. The results of this study suggest that struvite can be successfully implemented in seedling production, establishing significant prospects for its commercialization and use in nurseries.
为了满足快速增长的人口不断增加的需求，农业一直依赖使用合成肥料来提高产量。然而，其使用所带来的经济、环境和健康影响引发了重大关注，尤其是考虑到磷的稀缺性。利用鸟粪石等回收养分的材料可以提高农业的循环性，并减少对合成肥料的依赖。本研究的目的是评估鸟粪石作为过磷酸钙的完全替代品，在有无补充施肥灌溉的情况下，对萝卜和菠菜幼苗生产及早期生长的影响。此外，还研究了两种鸟粪石施用量（0.68和1.37 g L基质）以评估其溶解性。在萝卜发芽过程中，鸟粪石的表现与传统施肥相似，而在菠菜中，使用鸟粪石可缩短平均发芽时间。与传统肥料相比，使用鸟粪石时两种植物的生长、叶绿素含量和抗氧化能力相当。然而，在无施肥灌溉条件下，较高的鸟粪石施用量显著增加了菠菜中的叶绿素b和总叶绿素含量，而酚类和黄酮类物质含量则有所下降，这取决于施肥灌溉的应用情况。在萝卜中，鸟粪石使丙二醛（MDA）和过氧化氢（HO）水平与传统施肥相似，而在菠菜中，与传统施肥相比，在无施肥灌溉条件下施用ST1时这些水平有所下降。植物的磷和氮含量也受到影响，不过这些影响因植物种类、施肥灌溉应用和鸟粪石施用量而异。这种差异可归因于鸟粪石的特性、植物种类和栽培实践。本研究结果表明，鸟粪石可成功应用于幼苗生产，为其商业化和在苗圃中的使用开创了重要前景。
