MINERAL AND ORGANIC FERTILIZATION IN POLAND

Hnojení minerálními a organickými hnojivy v Polsku

Mazur Kazimierz, Filipek-Mazur Barbara, Gondek Krzysztof

Abstrakt

Vývoj spotřeby minerálních hnojiv v Polsku a zastoupení jednotlivých živin v celkové spotřebě jsou shrnuty v tomto příspěvku. Efektivnost aplikace jednotlivých živin pro různé plodiny byla hodnocena produkcí čerstvé biomasy na 1 kg aplikované živiny a porovnána s navrženými optimálními dávkami jednotlivých živin. Minimální i maximální dávky živin v jednotlivých regionech ukázaly na významné rozdíly ve spotřebě hnojiv. Současná maximální spotřeba nedosáhla ani u jedné živiny navržených optimálních hodnot. Nejvyšší odchylky byly zjištěny v případě draslíku. Stávající produkce hnoje je též nedostatečná pro zabezpečení vyrovnané bilance organických látek a nepokrývá ani živinný deficit.

Balanced mineral and organic fertilization combined with proper cropping practices, plant protection and application of the latest results in plant genetics concerning cultivar varieties, compose the main factor of crop yielding, improve both biological and technological qualities of products, improve soil fertility and finally limit negative results for the environment.

In Poland the agriculture is the second branch of national economy, after industry, employing over 30% of the whole population. Farmlands cover about 59% of the whole area. Dividing for over than 45% of ploughlands and 13% of grasslands (Fig.1).

Currently applied three systems of fertilization (intensive, integrated and extensive) lead to various productive results, both economic and ecological. (Tab. I).

I. Economic and ecological effects with various fertilization systems

Relative productive value of soil environment in Poland constitutes 60% of the soils value in Western Europe. It results from high proportion of light, acid and nutrient deficient soils in the total ploughland area. In order to cover food demand in Poland between 40-43 grain units per hectare should be produced yearly. Currently the production reaches about 32 grain units. In order to achieve planned results a balanced mineral fertilization should be applied considering assumed yield, soil abundance in nutrients and food demands of plants, organic treatment as well as rational integrated pest control and liming.

Soil should be fertilized with the components in lack. Thus it would be aimless to increase treatment without full information about soil abundance in components available to plants. So, one cannot speak about rational fertilization without soil analyses performed every 4-5 years.

Mineral fertilization in Poland

Data presented in the paper came from the Statistical Yearbook published by the Polish Central Bureau for Statistics.

Figure 2 shows consumption of individual components of mineral fertilizers and total NPK, as well as calcium fertilizers per 1 ha of croplands in selected farm years from 1979/80 to 1997/98. The highest consumption of mineral fertilizers in Poland was found on the turn of the seventies and eighties (the average of 193 kg NPK.ha-1). A slight decrease in consumption started since the farm year 1980/81 and lasted till 1989/90, then a rapid decrease to 62 kg NPK.ha -1 was noted in the farm year 1991/92. Since that time a slow increase in fertilizers use has been observed. In the farm year 1998/99 farmers in Poland used 91 kg NPK per 1 ha of croplands. Changes in total consumption of NPK were accompanied by changed consumption of individual nutrients of mineral fertilizers (Fig. 2). In comparison to NPK mineral fertilizers, lesser changes occurred in calcium fertilizers use (Fig. 2). The greatest amounts of calcium (182 kg CaO.ha-1 A.L.) were used in 1989/90 and the least (104 kg CaO.ha-1 A.L.) was used in 1993/94. Calcium fertilizers were applied primarily as quick lime.

Figure 3 illustrates consumption of mineral fertilizers and their total amounts, and also the use of calcium fertilizers during the farm year 1997/98 in the area of newly created provinces of Poland. The data show considerable diversification among regions resulting from both the nature of economic intensification in the individual provinces and financial situation of local farmers. On an average for the whole country about 90 kg NPK.ha-1 was used that year, including 50 kg N, 17 kg P2O5 and 23 kg K2O.

According to research results obtained by the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, under average conditions in Poland a high efficiency of fertilization - over 6 small grain units, i.e. over 6 kg grain per 1 kg NPK may be achieved with a dose of 120-190 kg NPK.ha-1, while plants uptake 6.4 kg NPK to produce 1 grain unit.

Efficiency of mineral fertilizers application

Nitrogen treatment is effective when soil is abundant in all nutrients. Limited phosphorous or potassium fertilization do not diminish nitrogen efficiency if soils are abundant in those components. Nitrogen treatment efficiency is high and with application of moderate doses looks as follows:

10 - 15 kg corn grain

20 - 200 kg maize green forage

50 - 100 kg sugar beet roots

50 - 100 kg potato tubers per one kilogram of applied nitrogen.

In Poland a yearly dose of 80 kg N.ha-1 is effective and reasonable under current economic conditions, moreover it is safe both for the environment and yield quality. Regional diversification in nitrogen fertilizer doses (Fig. 3) ranged in the farm year 1997/98 between 25 kg in the Podkarpacie region (Rzeszów) and 79 kg N.ha-1 in the Kujawsko-Pomorski region (Bydgoszcz - Toruń).

Efficiency of phosphorous treatments is not as high as N-fertilization and is as follows:

3.5 - 5.5 kg corn grain

20 - 70 kg green forage of red clover

10 - 45 kg sugar beet roots

20 - 45 kg potato tubers per each kilogram of phosphorus (P2O5) applied according to fertilizer demand.

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation has suggested a dose of 35 kg P2O5 per ha of croplands as an optimal and effective yearly dose of phosphorus to be used in Poland. During the farm year 1997/98 farmers from the Rzeszów region used the lowest quantities of phosphorus (13.3 kg P2O5), whereas those in the Gdańsk area applied the highest amounts (28.4kg P2O5.ha-1) (Fig. 3).

Systematic potassium treatment is also important. In light soils, which prevail in Poland potassium may be washed out. So, a yearly treatment with this element is recommended the more so as plants absorb bigger quantities of this element than nitrogen and in this way it may be taken up luxuriously.

Efficiency of potassium fertilization is lower than that of P and N-treatment and looks as follows:

2 - 3 kg corn grain

10 - 45 kg green forage of red clover

10 - 40 kg sugar beet roots

10 - 30 kg potato tubers per each kilogram of potassium applied according to fertilizer demands.

An average optimal dose of potassium is between 60 - 70 kg K2O.ha-1 of arable lands. Potassium fertilizer doses applied in the farm year 1997/98 were generally low (Fig. 3) and ranged between 13.1 kg K2O in the Kielce region and 36.5 kg K2O.ha-1 in the Opole region.

Soil deacidification improves fertilization efficiency. An average dose of CaO for Poland in the farm year 1997/98 was 131 kg CaO ha-1. The lowest calcium doses were used in the Warsaw region (73 kg CaO) and the highest (263 kg CaO.ha-1) in the Katowice region (Fig. 3).

Currently mineral treatment has been applied mainly using complex fertilizers which as a rule often contain also sulphur and magnesium [Grześkowiak 1999].

Organic fertilization in Poland

In 1999 farmyard manure production in Poland was about 95 million tons, i.e. an average dose of this fertilizer was c.a. 5.2 tons per ha of farmlands (6.55t ha-1 of ploughlands) with average contents of: 0.55% N, 0.26% P2O5 and 0.70% K2O. Total NPK contents in such FYM dose were about 78 kg, i.e. 23 kg less than in mineral fertilizers used in the farm year 1998/99. In FYM fertilization one should also consider coefficients of individual nutrients utilisation in the successive years following the treatment. As compared to the preceding years (since 1996) a slight increase in FYM production occurred [Mazur and Filipek-Mazur 1999]. With such FYM dose a negative humus balance occurs in soils [Mazur T. 1999] even after considering other sources of organic matter, e.g harvest residue, edaphon, etc. Because of regulatory effect of humus on soil physico-chemical properties and soil bioactivity it seems inevitable to seek other sources of organic matter which might be safely used as alternative fertilizers [Mazur and Filipek-Mazur 1999].

Conclusion

A slight increase has been recently observed in Poland in the amount of applied mineral fertilizers, particularly nitrogen with a considerable regional diversification of fertilization level. A slight increase in FYM production has occurred, however it has no major effect on decreasing a negative balance of organic matter in soils.

References mentioned in the paper are available from authors.

1. Structure of area use in Poland

2. Dynamics of mineral fertilizers consumption in Poland

1.

2. Regional diversification of mineral fertilizers consumption in Poland

in the farm year 1997/98

*) - capital of province - (1) Wrocław, (2) Bydgoszcz - Toruń, (3) Lublin, (4) Zielona Góra, (5) Łódź, (6) Kraków, (7) Warszawa, (8) Opole, (9) Rzeszów, (10) Białystok, (11) Gdańsk, (12) Katowice, (13) Kielce, (14) Olsztyn, (15) Poznań, (16) Szczecin

4. Average FYM doses used in ploughlands in Poland