**Bio-Organo-Phos: A Sustainable Approach for Managing Phosphorus Deficiency in Agricultural Soils**

Allah Ditta and Azeem Khalid

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/62473

#### **Abstract**

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108 Organic Fertilizers - From Basic Concepts to Applied Outcomes

y4765e00.pdf

Sustainable agriculture is essential for a positive relationship between supply and demand of food for the growing world population. This relationship was found to be affected by many environmental factors, including biotic and abiotic. From the point of view of crop nutrition, sustainability in the supply of essential nutrients particularly phosphorus is vital. Due to the energy crisis, the fluctuation in the prices of chemical fertilizers, environmental concerns, and cessation in the supply of high quality rock phosphate (RP) are hindering the use of chemical phosphatic fertilizers for sustainable crop production. Therefore, there is great need for a sustainable solution to this problem. It could be solved by employing a strategy to use native low quality RP. It is only possible by composting of organic material in the presence of RP and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. During composting, most of organic P is mineralized. Due to release of organic acids, P availability to crop plants increases. In this chapter, the importance of economical and sustainable sources of P and comparative efficacy of the use of organic fertilizer containing RP for legumes is critically reviewed.

**Keywords:** Phosphorus, rock phosphate, sustainable crop nutrition, PSMs, legumes
