Evaluation of synthetic hydroxyapatite as a potential phosphorus fertilizer for application in Forest plantations

Synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) was compared against triple superphosphate (TSP) and two unprocessed phosphate rocks (PR1, PR2) to (1) quantify and assess a synthetic lamellar structured-HA for its solubility and diffusiveness under acidic, sandy, soil conditions, (2) Evaluate synthetic lamellar structured-HA as a phosphorus early rotation fertilizer for Eucalyptus saplings. Soil incubation experiments verified that HA released more diffusive phosphorus into the soil than non-synthetic phosphate rock and had similar amounts of diffusive phosphorus as TSP. The solubility of HA at pH 3 and pH 6 was higher than that of raw ground phosphate rocks (apatites). Total dry-matter yield (DMY) and shoot-length of Eucalyptus seedlings grown for 154 days in acid soil (pH 4.9) were increased significantly by the application of HA compared to the control, PR2, and mixed (HA + PR2). The lack of a DMY response using TSP indicates that phosphorus may not have been the limiting factor. However, considering TSP and HA had similar solubilities and released diffusive phosphorus at similar levels, the only variable we failed to control for was the CaCO3 provided by the HA and not the TSP. Further experimentation is needed to confirm this hypothesis. Overall, HA is a promising candidate to supplement traditional phosphorus fertilizers for acidic sandy Eucalyptus silviculture.