Phosphate Rock Application on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Production and Macronutrients in Latosol Soil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of phosphate rocks (PRs) fertilizer compared to chemical P fertilizer for the best crop production and macronutrients of alfalfa. A completely randomized design under 3x3 factorial patterns was used in this research. The first factor was different sources of P fertilizer: Guizhou Phosphate Rock (GPR), Jingxiang Phosphate Rock (JPR), and Single Super Phosphate (SSP). The second factor was level of P fertilizer: 75, 100, and 125 mg P2O5/kg soil. A control treatment (without addition of P fertilizer, CK) was added as a comparison with the treatments. The results showed that JPR was the best for alfalfa production, whereas GPR and SSP were better for nutrient content in the alfalfa tissue than JPR. On the whole, phosphate rocks had similar effect on alfalfa growth compared to SSP at the experimental conditions.

Keywords

• alfalfa
• macronutrients
• phosphate rock
• production