Abstract Dairy processing sludge is currently a bio-based fertiliser being spread to grassland without knowledge pertaining its phosphorus (P) or nitrogen (N) replacement value. This creates uncertainty of desired crop yield achievement and unproductive nutrient recycling also poses great challenge the dairy milk industry in promoting their food by-product as valuable recyclable fertiliser. The...

In South Africa, as in most other sugarcane growing countries, efficient fertiliser practices have contributed greatly to sugarcane productivity. The South African Sugar Association Experiment Station (SASEX) Fertiliser Advisory Service (FAS), which has been operating for more than 40 years, has played a major role in providing cost effective recommendations to cane producers and in minimising ...

Abstract Fertilisers are essential in modern agriculture to enhance plant growth, crop production and product quality. Recent research has focused on the development of delivery systems designed prolong fertiliser release. This study introduces a new technology encapsulate release molecules fertilisers by using multi-layered electrospun nanofibre as carrier. Single-layer poly L-lactic acid (PLL...

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient. It is the nutrient that is most commonly deficient in soils, contributing to reduced agricultural yields throughout the world. Nitrogen can be supplied to crops by biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), a process which is becoming more important for not only reducing energy costs, but also in seeking more sustainable agricultural production. Nitrogen fixing...

Source-separated black water (BW) (toilet water) containing 38% of the organic material and 68% of the phosphorus in the total household waste (water) stream including kitchen waste, is a potential source for energy and phosphorus recovery. The energy recovered, in the form of electricity and heat, is more than sufficient for anaerobic treatment, nitrogen removal and phosphorus recovery. The ph...

To examine the long term e ects of fertiliser application on pasture growth under grazing a mathematical representation of the pasture ecosystem is created and analysed mathe matically From this the nutrient application level needed to maintain a given stocking rate can be determined along with its pro tability Feasible stocking levels and fertiliser application rates are investigated and the o...

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an oil-crop suitable for semi-arid agriculture, but its physiological response to agronomic inputs has yet to be fully evaluated. The effect of fertiliser on the physiology and production of Safflower grown in pots filled with standard grade perlite inside a semi-controlled glass house was studied. Plants were initially irrigated with 20-100 ml standard hy...

There are concerns about the impact of maize cultivation with high applications of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on water quality in surface waters in Mediterranean Central Chile. This study estimated the contribution of N and P from maize fields to nearby drainage channels and evaluated the effects in water quality. An N and P budget was drawn up for three fields managed with a maize-fallow ...