Trials conducted from 2017 to 2019 found that struvite increased crop yields, particularly in alfalfa. Because it doesn’t easily dissolve, the yield benefits would likely be evident in subsequent years, even when no struvite was added.

Her current work builds on the results of those first trials.

Because of its slow-release properties, Thiessen Martens is looking at the potential role of struvite as a long-term phosphorus source in perennial crops. She is studying perennial intermediate wheatgrass, a species the university’s breeding program is developing for grain production.

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