Rejuvenating soils with MinplusTM

  • 180 pages

  • Published: 1 Dec 2001

  • Author(s): Coventry, R.J., et al

Share this content
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • email
  • Download report PDF

    Download
  • Purchase a hard copy - AUD $75.00

This project aimed to develop soil amendments from finely ground basaltic rock dust and to test their efficiency as ameliorants of the properties of acidic and highly weathered soils. The research products are intended to overcome the constraints to plant growth induced by low soil cation exchange capacities, strong soil acidity, and high phosphorus fixation capacities, all of which are commonly encountered in the soils of the humid tropics.

Major potential benefits to be derived from the application of the results of the project include:
? more sustainable uses of soil resources and fertilisers for improved plant growth;
? lower fertiliser use and import replacement as a result of diminished use of high-cost imported fertilisers;
? decreased nutrient losses from farmlands and reduced eutrophication of natural wetlands and marine systems;
? enhancement of a burgeoning rural manufacturing industry, and significant growth in both domestic and international markets for value-added materials.