Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research communications

Vol. 13 No. sp1 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Pressmud-enriched phosphatic fertilisers: A sustainable approach to improving sugarcane yield and soil quality

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12652
Submitted
9 November 2025
Published
05-03-2026

Abstract

Sugarcane is a nutrient-exhaustive crop that demands efficient phosphorus (P) management, yet conventional mineral fertilisers often suffer from low use efficiency due to soil fixation. Phosphatic fertilisers, produced by fortifying sugar industry byproducts such as pressmud with mineral phosphates and inoculating them with phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB), offer a sustainable alternative that can improve P availability, crop productivity and economic returns. A field study was conducted on sugarcane variety CoC 13339 under tropical conditions to evaluate the efficiency of different enriched P formulations in comparison with conventional sources. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of sources and rates of phosphorus on available P content in soil, compare the efficiency of pressmud along with different sources of phosphatic fertilisers and evaluate the effects of enriched phosphatic fertilisers and their levels on growth and yield of sugarcane. Growth attributes, sugarcane yield, juice quality, nutrient uptake and soil nutrient status were monitored across crop growth stages. The results demonstrated that integrated organic mineral fertilisers enriched with pressmud and supported by PSB consistently enhanced Olsen-P levels, improved yield components and increased cane productivity. These findings highlight the potential of recycling agro-industrial residues into enriched fertilisers for sustainable nutrient management and yield enhancement in sugarcane. Future studies should focus on long-term field validation across ratoon cycles, nutrient dynamics in diverse soil types and integration with climate-smart management practices to support large-scale adoption.

 

References

  1. 1. Patil KB, Tripathi S, Jangir R, Saini L. Influence of phosphorus management on growth, development and yield of sugarcane. Indian J Pure Appl Biosci. 2020;8:25–31. https://doi.org/10.18782/2582-2845.8264
  2. 2. Silva AM, Estrada-Bonilla GA, Lopes CM, Matteoli FP, Cotta SR, Feiler HP, et al. Does organomineral fertilizer combined with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria in sugarcane modulate soil microbial community and functions? Microb Ecol. 2022;84(2):539–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-021-01855-z
  3. 3. Roy ED, Richards PD, Martinelli LA, Coletta LD, Lins SR, Vazquez FF, et al. The phosphorus cost of agricultural intensification in the tropics. Nat Plants. 2016;2(5):1–6. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2016.43
  4. 4. Crusciol CAC, Campos MD, Martello JM, Alves CJ, Nascimento CA, Pereira JC, et al. Organomineral fertilizer as a source of P and K for sugarcane. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):5398. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62315-1
  5. 5. Santos EA, Soares FA, Teixeira MB, da Silva EC, Sousa AE, Vale LS. Effect of organic and mineral phosphate fertilization of the plant cane and first ratoon on agronomic performance and industrial quality of the second ratoon in the Brazilian Cerrado region. Agronomy. 2025;15(8):2004. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082004
  6. 6. Borges BM, Abdala DB, de Souza MF, Viglio LM, Coelho MJ, Pavinato PS, et al. Organomineral phosphate fertilizer from sugarcane byproduct and its effects on soil phosphorus availability and sugarcane yield. Geoderma. 2019;339:20–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.12.036
  7. 7. Silva GP. Microbial inoculation and phosphate fertilization on sugarcane yield and phosphorus fractions in multi-sites of south-central Brazil [doctoral dissertation]. São Paulo: Universidade de São Paulo; 2025. https://doi.org/10.11606/D.11.2025.tde-04042025-095019
  8. 8. Lopes CM, Silva AM, Estrada-Bonilla GA, Ferraz-Almeida R, Vieira JL, Otto R, et al. Improving the fertilizer value of sugarcane wastes through phosphate rock amendment and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria inoculation. J Clean Prod. 2021;298:126821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126821
  9. 9. Adesemoye AO, Kloepper JW. Plant–microbe interactions in enhanced fertilizer-use efficiency. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009;85(1):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-009-2196-0
  10. 10. International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis. Methods Book 2011: International methods of sugar analysis. Vol. 1. Berlin: ICUMSA; 2011. https://www.icumsa.org/icumsa-methods-book/
  11. 11. Jackson ML. Soil chemical analysis. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India; 1958. p. 29
  12. 12. Olsen SR, Cole CV, Watanabe FS, Dean LA. Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circ. 1954;939:1–19
  13. 13. Piper CS. Soil and plant analysis. New York: Longmans, Green and Co.; 1945
  14. 14. Panse VG, Sukhatme PV. Statistical methods for agricultural workers. New Delhi: Indian Council of Agricultural Research; 1967
  15. 15. Lal H. Principles of agricultural economics. Agra: Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co.; 2008
  16. 16. Estrada-Bonilla GA, Durrer A, Cardoso EJBN. Use of compost and phosphate-solubilising bacteria affects sugarcane mineral nutrition, phosphorus availability and the soil bacterial community. Appl Soil Ecol. 2021;157:103760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103760
  17. 17. Ram B, Chouhan S, Priyadarshi R, Kumar R, Sinha SK, Kumari S. Enhancing soil fertility in calcareous soil through sulphitated press mud, Trichoderma viride and biofertilizer integration in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). J Eco-friendly Agric. 2024;19(2):417–23. https://doi.org/10.48165/jefa.2024.19.02.30
  18. 18. Niazi MT, Kashif SU, Asghar HN, Saleem M, Khan MY, Zahir ZA. Phosphate-solubilising bacteria in combination with pressmud improve growth and yield of mash bean. J Anim Plant Sci. 2015;25(4):1049–54.
  19. 19. Sajid U, Aslam S, Hussain A, Mumtaz T, Kousar S. Pressmud compost for improved nitrogen and phosphorus content employing Bacillus strains. Recycling. 2024;9(6):104. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling9060104
  20. 20. Ram B, Chouhan S, Tutlani A, Kumar R, Sinha SK, Kumari S. Optimising sugarcane productivity and soil nutrient uptake with sulphitated press mud (SPM), phosphorus-solubilising bacteria (PSB) and Trichoderma viride integration in calcareous soil. Plant Arch. 2024;24(1):122–30. https://doi.org/10.51470/plantarchives.2024.v24.no.1.018
  21. 21. Tayade AS, Geetha P, Anusha S. Integrated nutrient management in sugarcane. In: Recent scientific advances in sugarcane cultivation for doubling farmers’ income. New Delhi: IBP Books; 2022. p. 290–301
  22. 22. Raghothama KG. Phosphorus and plant nutrition: an overview. In: Phosphorus: Agriculture and the Environment. Agronomy Monograph 46. Madison (WI): ASA-CSSA-SSSA; 2005. p. 353–78. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronmonogr46.c11
  23. 23. Costa AD, Rolim MM, Bonfim-Silva EM, Simões Neto DE, Pedrosa ER, França e Silva ÊF. Accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in sugarcane cultivated under different types of water management and doses of nitrogen. Crop J. 2016;10(3):362–69
  24. 24. Etesami H. Enhanced phosphorus fertilizer use efficiency with microorganisms. In: Meena RS, editor. Nutrient dynamics for sustainable crop production. Singapore: Springer; 2019. p. 215–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8660-2_8

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.