Agronomic co-benefits of enhanced rock weathering (ERW) with basalt applied to sugarcane grown on acidic soil in Brazil

Enhanced weathering (EW) of silicate rocks such as basalt is a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology^1. Various potential agronomic co-benefits are suggested for silicate rock powders in the tropics² but there are few studies conducted under commercial field deployment conditions. 

In this study we report the effects of basalt rock powder applied to sugarcane grown on an oxisol in Brazil, SP. The experiment was directly embedded within the commercial fields of the farm and set up in August 2023 as a randomized block design with four treatments (0, 10, 50, 100t/ha; surface applied) and four replicates. Agronomic management was kept identical to the operations of the farm. Soil samples were analyzed for various soil health parameters including cation exchange capacity, pH, organic matter, and macro- and micronutrients. Different biometric parameters and nutrient uptake were measured in the sugarcane. Additionally, CO₂ emissions were monitored and soil water was analyzed for pH, EC, DIC, and nutrients. Detailed multi-parameter results from one year of post-application monitoring of the experiment are presented, drawing comparison to positive yield results across the commercial scale deployment.

 

 

 

 

¹ David J. Beerling et al., Nature 583, no. 7815 (July 2020): 242–48

² Philipp Swoboda, Thomas F. Döring, and Martin Hamer, Science of The Total Environment 807 (February 10, 2022): 150976