Description
This project aims to avoid or minimize the environmental impact that nitrogen fertilizers cause in the crop or growing fields. The project will focus on tomato crop in Vegas del Guadiana, Spain. It will develop controlled release fertilizer glasses of macro- and micronutrients so that leaching is according to the absorption requirements of the tomato plant and no other dissolving species can pass to groundwater and prevent contamination. Fertilizer glasses will be formulated according to the concentration ranges of macro- and micronutrients used for tomato crops by agglomeration spray particles of various glasses. Leaching rates will be adapted to 5the soil of this Spanish area in order to minimize contamination of soil and groundwater. An experimental tomato area will be fertilized and serve as the area where the growing and yielding of tomato plants will be studied. The improved environmental impact obtained will also be calculated. The fertilizers glasses will be enlarged to other types of crops.
Summary of project results
Dissolving power of conventional NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ) fertilizers is very high, generating eutrophication in the area where the crop is sown and in several km long. VICTORIA project is focused on minimizing the environmental impact that NPK fertilizers cause in the tomato crop by developing controlled release glass fertilizer. The evaluation of the glass fertilizer has been done in a tomato cropland where half has been cultivated with conventional fertilizer and the other half with the new glass fertilizer. The results indicate that the NPK conventional fertilizer presents a higher solubility than glass fertilizer. Study of the soil demonstrated a reduction of 93% of P and 59% of K lixiviated per unit of fertilizer when using the new glass fertilizer. Risk of ground water contamination has been minimized and the environmental impact avoided. No significant differences have been found in Tomato crops and quality parameters of fruits.
Summary of bilateral results