International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE)

New paper on the improvement of soil health

Thursday 21 October 2021

Philipp Swoboda, Thomas F. Döring, Martin Hamer: Remineralizing soils? The agricultural usage of silicate rock powders: A review. The Paper is available online since 15 October 2021 and was published in the Journal "Science of the Total Environment".
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The Paper presents a new way to fertilise soil to counteract the food insecurity threatened by nutrient-poor soil. It evaluates if silicate rock powders (SRPs) can be used as sustainable fertilizer, in countries where classical soluble fertilisers are not affordable or not accessible. The findings highlight that SRPs can increase crop yields and improve soil health. By using SRPs there is a significant potential for highly weathered soils in the tropics. The paper shows that SRPs can enhance to a low-cost and regional soil sustaining crop production and it could also help to achieve sustainable development goals.